Coventry girl who suffered from anxiety and OCD says ‘anything is possible’

A young woman from Coventry who suffered from OCD said she believed “anything is possible” after joining a sports group which prides itself on promoting positive mental wellbeing. Lara Kaiser said she “loved” attending the weekly Guardian Ballers sessions.

Founded by Kieran Joseph, Guardian Ballers was launched in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Mind in 2021. It is a mental and emotional wellbeing project that uses basketball to empower young people aged 10-25.

Guardian Ballers engages with over 1,000 young people each year and has now received £12,500 in funding from UnLtd, who have partnered with Sport England to launch ‘Moving for Change’. One of the young people the project helped in the city is 18-year-old Lara.

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Lara suffered from anorexia, severe anxiety and OCD. Mum Ania said: “It was so bad that anyone but our closest family couldn’t even visit us at home.”

Guardian Ballers founder and CEO Kieran said: “Lara first got into a session when she was 15 or 16. She had OCD and had been in the hospital with anxiety and eating disorders. She came to one of our super diverse community center sessions with lots of other girls.

“She came in almost holding her mom’s hand, and her mom had to stay the whole session, but by the second session, she trusted us, she trusted the girls around her. She transitioned while with us from using higher demand services to not being involved in more acute mental and emotional health services.”

Teacher Andy said: “I think Guardian Ballers has helped Lara grow so much from where she was! I think she needed something extra that would take her beyond her comfort zone.”

He added: “Lara is very lucky to have a very positive family, a very supportive family and the school I’m at, I work with Lara and we have a wonderful team working with her. I did a lot for Lara to help her grow, but she always had the desire and hope to achieve more.”

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Mum Ania added: “I’m so happy for what Guardian Ballers has given my daughter, because I was scared and we didn’t really socialize and make friends with other people, all of a sudden she wanted to to come back. She is looking forward to her sessions on Wednesday, her mental well-being has improved enormously, her confidence, the way she has suddenly been behaving is unbelievable compared to where she was a year ago.”

Lara said she “loved” being part of the Guardian Ballers, adding that her time there “meant a lot”. She said: “I love all the girls, they are very friendly and I have made new friends.”

She continued: “Guardian Ballers has meant a lot to me, it’s made me feel more confident, it’s also made me feel less shy when meeting new people and everyone there is really nice and friendly. Everyone is very kind and even if it doesn’t go your way, even if you miss a goal, people still tell you it’s OK.

“Everybody really supports them and I support them and it’s just a really wonderful community of people. At first, I didn’t know how to play basketball, but towards the end, I got better and it made me feel a lot better about myself and know that anything is possible.”

Mum Ania said: “It’s incredible, it’s just changed my baby and it’s changed our lives too, so thank you so much Guardian Ballers. I just wish there were more other places and more sessions like this for teenagers and young people.”

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