You asked and I’m happy to share!
So I get asked this all the time, and I’ve decided to write a little page up to tell everyone my story! ❤️
It was a few weeks before my fourth birthday and we were moving a family friend into our house after their separation, we had two fully loaded vehicles and we were travelling between the houses when little me decided to open the car door.
My Dad was driving and my little brother was in the middle of our Landcruiser, it only had 3 front seats and a big canopy back full of bits and pieces for moving.
My Mum was in the car behind with our friend David driving it, she unfortunately saw everything that happened next.
We were on a roundabout when door swung open and as I have reached out to close it.. then my seatbelt has locked, stopping me from reaching the door. I fell. I fell hard against the side of the car and then slipped from the seatbelt where I’ve grabbed onto the first thing I could.. unfortunately that was the rear tyre.. I was pulled around the tyre twice as my body was crushed and pulled.
My Dad has then realised I’ve fallen out the door, just think.. two spins of a tyre.. literally seconds.. I’m gone.. he’s pulled the emergency handbrake.
The car has slid and grinded to a halt. Me underneath the tyre still. My right leg was torn and pulled from my thigh.. all the skin, nerves, tissue, muscle, everything was torn down to my knee.
My right foot was scraped along the bitumen and sliced off my little toe along with half of my foot. My left arm was pulled with force causing 3 spinal nerves to be disconnected from my spinal cord, my hand is permanently paralysed.
David had to drive the car off my body as my parents held onto me and panicked (obviously). We were in complete pure luck that following my Mum and David’s car was a police officer. My Dad has grabbed my body and tried to hold me together as he’s run to the police car, jumped in, and asked to be taken to the nearest hospital, like, now.
We were in Emerald and their small hospital wasn’t sure what to do. After 3 hours there I was transferred to Rockhampton, same deal, but 9 hours, so after another 9 hours, I was transferred to Brisbane.
I spend 16 years in and out of Brisbane being operated on, I had literally hundreds of surgeries and thousands of treatments and physio sessions and all that jazz.
I have soo many scars all over my body. But I guess, what’s the main point to me telling my story to you? I want you to trust that I understand ANY insecurities you may have. I have spent my entire life being bullied and put down due to my scars and disabilities but it’s made me exactly who I am today and I’m proud of that girl!
And I want you to be proud of yourself too! That’s why I do this! I do this and LOVE to do it because it’s truly the most empowering thing I’ve ever done for anyone before. 😍
