Oliver, 40, from Oundle in Northamptonshire, joined the RAF in 2002 and enjoyed a successful career as an Electrical Engineer. However, he began to struggle with drug addiction.
After leaving the RAF in 2008, Oliver tried to get his life back on track but his addiction spiraled out of control. He reached a point where he couldn’t afford to heat his flat or pay the rent. It was at that point when Oliver knew something had to change.
“Within two years, I went from being a business owner with two properties to losing everything. I was down to my last bit of money and I decided I needed to spend it on something worthwhile, like rehab, rather than on the drugs I was taking.”
Oliver was able to secure a place at a trauma-based rehab facility. He spent the next few years in several rehab programs where he was eventually diagnosed with complex PTSD. In time, he was able to free himself from addiction.
“I managed to deal with my demons and walk alongside my addiction, which is still something I do every day. I’m now three years in recovery and two years clean and sober,”
It was in rehab where Oliver first met his now partner Nivedita, although they agreed not to embark on a relationship until they had both finished their time in rehab.
In 2021, a year after leaving rehab, Oliver and Nivedita got together. A few months into their relationship, Nivedita found out she was pregnant which came as a shock as doctors had told her she wouldn’t be able to have children.
The couple had nowhere to live at this point but they were determined to do the best they could for their child. It was then that the RAF Association’s highly trained casework team stepped in to help Oliver and Nivedita prepare for their baby’s arrival.
The Association assigned Oliver his own dedicated caseworker called Oscar, who took the time to get to know Oliver and his circumstances and work out the best way to support him and his family.
Oscar arranged access to practical and financial support so that Oliver and Nivedita could get the vital supplies they needed for their new baby and pay the first month’s rent on their new home.
“We were so grateful for the grants – I don’t take it lightly and I don’t take it for granted,”
The couple’s daughter Ellora was born in June and, after spending four weeks in accommodation provided by Nivedita’s parents, the family were finally able to move into their new home in Earl’s Court, London.
Oliver is now enjoying being a dad and working part-time as a handyman for a company in London.
“I feel like I lost everything but now I’ve got it all back. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, which seems to be working. I plan on getting a full-time job when Ellora goes to school but, for now, I’m focusing on continuing to live clean and sober and being a father.
“Without the support of the Association and the other charities, I don’t know where we would have ended up. I don’t even want to think about it.”
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