A quick summary:
It all started with a leaky nipple…
At least, it did for Heka Founder and CEO, Alex Hind. What followed from this scary discovery was a journey that would have been very different if Alex didn’t have access to wellbeing support through Heka…
“It was back in summer 2021,” Alex tells me, “and after the leaky nipple, I thought, this doesn’t seem quite right for a 29 year old man.”
The most logical course of action was for Alex to contact his GP, and book an appointment - but with the NHS being in the midst of turmoil due to the pandemic, getting booked in wasn’t going to be as quick or as easy as it should be.
Fortunately, Alex used the Virtual GP service on Heka to get an appointment booked in quickly. “After speaking with a GP, it was clear that me having a leaky nipple wasn’t a good sign, and so they referred me to the breast unit at a local hospital and got me an appointment all within a couple of weeks.”
After a blood test, the results showed a huge increase in Alex’s prolactin hormone levels. “I then spoke with a consultant who said I need to get an MRI scan but obviously the NHS is under considerable pressure so I was going to have to wait 8-12 weeks to get a scan.”
The anxiety of waiting so long to get a scan that could reveal something life-threatening would have seriously affected Alex’s wellbeing. So once again, he turned to Heka.
“I used my Heka balance and added more of my own money to it and got a scan booked in 32 hours after I spoke with the consultant.”
After the scan, Alex was told he had a tumour pressing up against his brain that was affecting the production of hormones.
“So, Heka saved me from 12 weeks of anxiety, and stress, and allowed me to get treatment so much faster. At the time I was getting severe headaches and suffering with light sensitivity, on top of being a parent to a newborn. It’s safe to say, my wellbeing took a knock a bit.”
Luckily, Alex received and had access to support when he needed it most. “I was on some pretty strong medication that made me both super tired and super awake, so sleep became almost impossible.”
Again, Alex turned to Heka to find sleep and relaxation support that helped him until he got new medication that he’s been on for the last 3 years. “It puts things into perspective and so when I started to feel more myself I applied to do the London Marathon and got offered a charity place with Brain Research UK because they were aware of my condition. I then used some of the partners on Heka to help me train for the marathon and completed it this year.”
I asked Alex how the whole experience made him think about employee wellbeing and he explained, “It made me realise that everyone’s situation is totally different. Nobody is going to have the same journey when it comes to their health and wellbeing and what I needed support with a year ago is different to six months ago, and now that’s different from today.”
That’s why we’re proud that Heka offers wellbeing support throughout all of life’s moments. “When we think about improving sleep, or meditating, or going to the gym - all of this is great wellbeing support but none of them factor into account life and what can be thrown at you. So, it’s always been important for Heka to support the everyday needs of employees while also having services available in their time of need.”
