Stories
Stories and achievements
These stories are dedicated to our consumers. Each person along with their family members have a personal story to tell and we at Headstart are proud to celebrate each of their achievements. Read just some of them here, and be inspired!
Kynan’s story: one of a kind
“I had a brain tumour at the stem of my brain when I was a kid, age seven. I had to have ray therapy and chemotherapy. Then I started losing my sight.”
James’ story: a taste for life
“My injury was from loss of oxygen to my brain and I have no memory of any of that time. I was in the John Hunter for two weeks and RPA for a while. It is pretty much a mind wipe of about two years.”
Mark E’s story: going with the flow
“Now, I love art. I look forward to it every time and I come to Sophie’s class every two weeks. It’s a way of releasing the headache from my head.”
Lyn’s story: keeping a sense of humour
“I had an aneurysm which was a bleed to the brain and also a stroke. I can’t remember any of it. Thank God. It did change my lifestyle and my husband Wayne’s got to put up with me caring for me like this.” Wayne also gives us his side of the story.
Romeo’s story: 25 years and going strong
“It was a motor vehicle accident when I was doing St John. I had my two best friends in the car We collided with another vehicle and I had the brain injury from that. I have no memory of the accident at all.”
Leah’s story: riding high
“Twenty three years ago I had a car crash and died at the scene. I died in the ambulance and died in the hospital. Why the hell I’m alive I don’t know! There is a God, Amen".
Brenden’s story: making the most of it
“I crashed my Harley, went nineteen metres into the air and landed on my head. I died twice and spent two months in a coma.My left arm doesn’t work. I don’t have balance and my memory is screwed.”
Ricki’s story: strength and a snake
“My medical treatment will never end. I'll always be someone's patient, put it that way. That's what a specialist told me once. But there have been a lot of improvements.”
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Leonie’s story: back in the salon
“I was just driving one day and I scratched my face. I couldn’t feel it and I thought “that’s a bit unusual.” So I told my doctor and he sent me for a CT scan. They found a tumour as big as a peach in my head.”
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Tony’s story: time for staying positive
“I had my stroke on May 2nd, 2012, what caused the stroke was a piece of plaque that was in my neck that dislodged and lodged itself into the left-hand side of my brain.”
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Gary’s story: from surfer to Surfest photographer
“I first fell sixteen feet, and spent three months in hospital. I got back up on the roof and fell again ten months later. I was out for 14 days. And when I woke up is in a brace and everything and I thought I’d had a car accident, but apparently I didn’t.”
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Cathy’s story: a picture is worth a thousand words
“I did most of the art before my stroke, which was in 2009. The stroke was a big change. It was more than just physical. It meant no more art teaching. My memory was affected, my speech too. One side is good, the other I can’t move.”
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Kelvin’s story: a life less ordinary
"I suffered a serious injury while working when a heavy object landed on my head, which severely impacted my sight. I can only distinguish dark and light but not much else. I also have ongoing pain issues.”
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Mark L’s story: a wife’s perspective
“In January 2011 my husband Mark suffered a severe stroke, hospitalising him for 5 months. Mark now requires 24/7 care and is undergoing rehabilitation.” - Mark’s wife, Tracey.
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Tim’s story: “Chin up and soldier on”
“My frightening eighteen months began in February 2006. It was spent recovering after being on the receiving end of a semi-trailer began to wind down.”
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Dayne’s story: my journey with Headstart
“At age 16 I started having seizures. By the age of 25 I was having over 80 seizures a day and was house bound even if I got out of bed. I had lost all my confidence and only left my house with a family member.”
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George’s story: the road to independence
“I was living in an old peoples home which was terrible for a young person like me. I had no independence and whilst some of the old people were really nice, many had dementia and that made it hard to me.”
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Jed’s story: onwards and upwards
“I am steadily recovering from my trauma and I understand that everyone needs to be a mature lifelong learner, including those of us who have experienced a severe injury.”
