On 18th March this year, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall announced Labour’s plans to slash £5 billion from the government’s welfare budget.

The main source of their savings, they propose, will be massive cuts to disability benefits - specifically Personal Independence Payment. Paid to the most vulnerable members of our society, it is a benefit that helps people with long-term illnesses or disabilities cover the extra costs of daily life that they face.

In this special episode of Back from the Brink, we are straying slightly from our usual format and delving a little deeper into the Labour government’s overhaul of PIP, how these changes will be implemented and, most importantly,  how they will affect the disabled people at risk of losing them.

We will hear from three people who will help us understand how these cuts could be life-changing, including a young man who nearly lost his life when he fell about 7 metres onto concrete at just 19 years old and a woman who fought multi-organ failure after catching an infection in her heart. 

We'll also be joined by an expert in inclusion and accessibility to help us unpack what these cuts really mean — and what could come next.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production for the Daily Mirror. It is presented and produced by Cecilia Adamou, and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin. With thanks to Shabir Noorzai, Nick Appleyard, and Rosanna Cole.

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This episode contains discussions about mental health and suicide.

On a bitterly cold night in January, sitting on a bridge in London, Jonny Benjamin was prepared to take his life. After years of mental health struggles, and stay on a mental health ward, he had given up.

Thanks to the intervention of random stranger - Neil Laybourn - he was convinced to carry on.

This chance encounter proved to be a pivotal moment that set Johnny on a long and difficult journey of recovery and self-discovery.

Jonny discusses his struggles with mental health issues from a young age, his eventual diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, and his experiences in the mental health system, which he found to be often bleak and lacking in empathy. It was Neil's kindness and determination to help that day on the bridge that gave Johnny the glimmer of hope he needed to continue fighting.

The two men reconnected years later. Jonny and Neil chat to the Mirror's Cecilia Adamou about the emotional reunion, and their close relationship since that dark day.

This episode explores the power of human connection and compassion, and the profound impact a single act of kindness can have, even in the darkest of times. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of mental health support and understanding.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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After walking from a school assembly, joined by her husband and two young daughters, Claire Clark was struck by a motorcycle, and suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

The accident occurred just around the corner from their home, and she was rushed to the hospital via air ambulance. Claire underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on her swelling brain, which involved removing a section of her skull and storing it in her abdomen.

Her recovery was a long and challenging process, both physically and mentally, and on the Back from the Brink podcast, Claire recounts the events leading up to the accident, her time in a medically-induced coma, and her subsequent recovery and rehabilitation process.

Her story, which she tells to the Mirror's Cecilia Adamou, highlights the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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In 2010, whilst covering the war in Afghanistan, Phil Coburn was travelling in a US Marine armoured personnel carrier with his Mirror colleague Rupert Hamer. The vehicle was hit by a Taliban bomb attack, killing Rupert and a US Marine. Phil lost the lower part of his legs in the blast, and suffered spinal injuries.

In the second part of his chat with Cecilia Adamou, the Mirror photographer recalls his recovery from the life-changing injuries, why it hasn't put him off from reporting in hostile environments, and why he doesn't consider himself disabled despite being a double amputee.

This is a frank and emotional chat about life, and nearly losing it.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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As a photographer working for a newspaper, Phil Coburn said that he felt almost protected whilst covering the war in Afghanistan, comparing his camera to a shield.

However, the assignment for the Mirror photographer ended in life-changing injuries when, in 2010, a Taliban bomb attack resulted in Phil losing the lower part of both legs.

The photographer recalls his time covering the war, the blast that killed his colleague Rupert Hamer and a US Marine, and the injuries that he suffered.

This is the first instalment of a two-part episode chronicling Phil's story, and how he survived and recovered from the attack.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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It is terrifying to accept death at any age, but at just 23, Zahra Khaliq had accepted that she was going to die after being hit by Covid, leaving her in excruciating pain.

Despite calling an ambulance seven times and screaming in agony whilst waiting at A&E, Zahra’s concerns about her health were ignored, and she was dismissed and sent home.

Thanks to the timely intervention of a friend, the graduate was finally listened to by hospital staff, and they found that she had blood clots in her lungs, pneumonia, and dangerously low oxygen levels.

She tells Back to the Brink’s Cecilia Adamou that if her worries had been ignored once again, it was very likely that she would not have survived the night.

Zahra shares her battle with Covid and how it has shaped her life since.

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Susan Laurie shares her deeply personal struggle with alcohol dependence, vividly describing it as a dark shadow akin to the one from the film "Ghost".

She admits that her 40s were wiped out by alcohol, leaving her incredibly ill and close to death.

The author recounts her relentless battle against addiction, the stigma of alcoholism, the feeling of being pulled back by this "entity", and the various treatments she sought in her desperate quest for sobriety.

This is a raw and honest exploration of addiction and the fight to reclaim one's life.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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A father who simply set out to change his habits, but a disastrous accident flipped his world upside down...

In 2017, Rae Saleem became paralysed from the neck down following a cycling accident, and he was told that he would never walk again.

However, 18 months after the life-changing accident, through sheer mental and physical strength, Rae was not only back on his feet - he was running 10k for charity. These days, he now runs ultra marathons and ran the London Marathon in 2021.

This incredible fundraiser and fitness enthusiast shares his inspirational story with the Mirror's Cecilia Adamou in the first episode of our brand new podcast.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production, created and presented by Cecilia Adamou, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin, with thanks to Dan Jackson.

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Welcome to Back from the Brink - a brand new Daily Mirror podcast all about life… and nearly losing it.

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