Hello, I am Daria Horbachova and I am a Speech Therapist. My journey is a little different to most, so here is my story.
I was born in Ukraine, Kyiv. I have lived there all my life.
From as early as I can remember, I always looked up to my mother and grandma, who were also speech therapists. I played with them, spent a lot of time observing their sessions with children, and watched them deliver amazing speech therapy. They really inspired me, and I was 100% sure that Speech and Language therapy was exactly what I wanted to do in my life and that it was the profession for me. I love kids with all my heart, and I love being able to help those who need it. It just felt like the perfect career.
So, in 2007 I passed my exams and began my journey of studying Speech and Language therapy. After 5 years I had graduated and was officially a fully qualified SLT!
Since then, I have worked in many different places and settings: nurseries, schools, hospitals and even had private practice. Although, like everyone, Covid had changed a lot for me! Everything was closed – the only option I had was online sessions with children. So, I started to practice online which was a great opportunity for everyone. I was happy with this decision. At that time, I had fully booked days and it was perfect. Children were still able to access the therapy they needed, and I was able to keep doing what I love. Covid slowly started to calm down and life began to resume as normal.
But one day , absolutely everything in my life changed.
It was 24th of February 2022. The day when every single person had heard the news about the war in Ukraine… We were so shocked and I’m not sure we even realized truly what was going on, or how bad it was.
Everything was cancelled, everyone had stopped, and it seemed like our life was on pause.
After 1 month of uncertainty, worry and danger, I decided to pack my suitcase and go abroad. I applied for a UK visa and came here on the 22nd of April. Since arriving here in the UK, I have lived with a British family in Newport Pagnell. My host Sarah knew that I am a qualified SALT in Ukraine, so she helped me with my CV and she helped me search for a job. I wanted to continue working in Speech and Language Therapy as it’s what I’m most passionate about. We found a role with Magic Words Therapy so I applied. I passed my interview in May, and from 1st of September I started to work with Magic Words. It was an incredible feeling, because after everything I had experienced, and all the change that had happened, all I wanted at that moment – was to continue my normal life.
As I’m currently writing this, the day is the 22nd of November – which means I have spent 7 months in UK and nearly 3 months at Magic Words. As I reflect on these months, I am so grateful for all of the kind people I have met. The Magic Words team is fantastic, and I feel everyone is always willing to help me and I really feel so supported.
Now I’m working 3 days a week. I have 2 schools and 1 nursery where I’m delivering therapy and I also have clients in the clinic who come and see me too. I have a great opportunity to help multiple children and improve their knowledge every day. For me, it’s an incredible feeling and I’m so glad I could continue doing what I love, here in the UK.
I am so very grateful to the Magic Words directors, Eleanor and Frankie and also the team for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to develop in my profession and move on, despite all the difficulties and unfortunate circumstances I have been through.
Thank you for reading my story.
