Inspiring stories
** Disclaimer: This page is home to SHH’s community inspiring stories.
The following includes personal narratives which intend to be inspiring, raise awareness, promote a can-do attitude, hope, and connectedness among our community. We thank all the amazing participants who shared their experiences allowing us to learn and grow together.
** Trigger warning
Some of the stories may include overwhelming experiences. It is therefore normal for you to have some responses (at times distressing) to the content in this page. This may include trauma, death, or injury. We suggest reading them in a safe environment where you feel supported.
Hi, my name’s Joe Salu. At the time of my accident, I was working for a formwork company as a truck driver. One day I was sent to one of our job sites to pick up some steel shutters and had to return them back to the hire centre. The shutters had been stacked by the tower crane. The crane crew put them on my truck. But they had not stacked them properly and when I got to the yard I untied the load and a pack of steel shutters weighing 240kg rolled off the truck and landing on my back damaging L1 vertebrae, injuring my spinal cord. Making me a paraplegic.
After spending three months in the PA‘s spinal unit, I left the hospital. Coming home was the whole new ball game. I was afraid to even go out and get the mail out of the letterbox for fear that I would fall out of my wheelchair and, not having any nurse’s around to look after me, I wouldn’t be able to get back in. I spoke to the physio about how to pick myself up if I fell out of my chair. It was hard work but it was something I desperately wanted to learn and it took me a couple of weeks to gain confidence in doing it myself. The next thing was to make sure things were right around the house. Ramps, bathroom, and kitchen renovations were built by Work Cover builders to help me around the house.
At first, they were fine, I didn’t know any better, I had just become a paraplegic and I thought they were the experts and knew what to do. Big mistake. Over the past few years, we have renovated our bathroom, kitchen, and access ramps around the house it makes life easier for me.
I joined Sporting Wheelies Gym then joined a number of other programs with them. One of them was the Walk On the project, which is a rehabilitation program for people with spinal injuries. I would have to credit them for helping me learn to walk with crutches and helping me to keep a positive attitude. I also joined wheelchair basketball and it was great to get back into sports and meet other people in wheelchairs. Life now is good; I have done a bit of traveling to Canada, New Zealand, and Fiji. I now have my independence back which was my main goal for me, my wife, and my family.
Hi, my name is Vaughan Bedford I am an incomplete C456 quadriplegic. I grew up on a large wheat, sheep, and cattle property in South Australia until I turned 18 when I started work in the mines, then later in construction as a rigger all over Australia and eventually brought my family to live here to Brisbane. Being quite the adrenalin junkie, racing dirt bikes all my life working as a tower crane rigger was the perfect job for me. Throughout my life, I made it over some hurdles that stop most people and each one just made me a stronger person mentally.
However, on that Thursday afternoon on September 2006, I remember laying on the M1 not able to move or feel anything and thinking, I should be in a world of pain, this hurdle is going to be tough. A few weeks later after coming off the morphine and back down to earth at the spinal injuries acute ward in traction, the doctors gave me their diagnoses as a complete C456 quadriplegic, and your condition will not get much better than this. I told them I will prove you wrong, I will beat this. With a positive and stubborn attitude and the dedicated support of so many family members, friends, nurses, and Workcover team I set about achieving that goal.
Every week there was a small improvement with a little more movement and feeling, after seven and a half months in the unit I pushed for my discharge, it felt like I had been there for a lifetime.
Once home I continued to chase that goal even harder. After 4 years of hard-dedicated rehab hydrotherapy in the beginning then Walk On at the sporting wheelies gym for 12 months, with the help of some very dedicated personal carers, I did achieve my goal to a certain extent, but achieved so much more along the way. I may not have got over that hurdle and actually beat this spinal injury, I still lived with it every day, and some days it tests me, but that is life though, I have learnt to adapt and overcome any hurdles my injury throws at me one at a time. Ever since I left the unit, it has been my passion to help show others you can live a fulfilling life after a spinal injury if you have the right attitude. Think outside the box, adapt and overcome, there is no can’t, just different.
My name is Courtney Bedford; I’m 19 years old and an aspiring Nurse. My dad, Vaughan is a quadriplegic and this is our story. Dad had his motorbike accident when I was 10. It was 2006, late in the year. Mum and I were going through paperwork for my school camp and were trying to get in contact with Dad for the Medicare card number. We called a few times as Dad was not answering. Eventually, an ambulance officer answered the phone and said, “Vaughan has been in an accident, please come to the Princess Alexandra hospital”.
Dad had been in many motorbike accidents before due to his passion for racing, however this time we all had a feeling it was much more serious than any other time. We all feared we would never see him again. That night when we got to the hospital we were taken into a private room where a Doctor told my family and me that dad would never walk again, as he had broken his neck. Being so young I did not understand what that meant. It was not until I had seen him for the first time, lying flat in a hospital bed with tubes coming from every direction of his body and a room full of doctors and nurses, that I realized how serious it was. We all stood in the room intimidated not knowing what to do or say.
My brother and I in turn stood up on a stool beside his bed so we could see his face and speak to him. It was at that moment when I put my hand in his asking him to squeeze that I realized how serious the situation was. With his limp hand in mine, he looked at me as if he had no idea who I was, because of all the medication they had him on. It had hit me that his life, our families’ lives, and everyone acquainted with Dad’s life would change. My brother and I had to leave the room because it had gotten too much for us and we broke down in mum’s arms.
When Dad moved to the spinal unit in Princess Alexandra Hospital, he spent close to 8 months rehabilitating and learning to adjust to his life as a quadriplegic. We all adapted to the situation eventually, but it was dad’s courage and positive attitude that kept us afloat. We admired how positive dad kept with his amazing stubborn willpower; he just kept trying and never gave up hope for life. When dad was discharged from the Spinal Unit and came home, life became normal again… our normal. Things were different and everyone was healing, but mostly we were just learning how to adapt to this new lifestyle. Every day was a challenge for dad but slowly he learned how to do things he used to but in a different way. With the help and support of family, friends, and carers he has come a long way in the past 8 years. Now that I have been part of Spinal Home Help, and know-how their programs are run, if we had them when dad was discharged it would have made the transition much easier.
Since then, so much has changed within our family. It has not been an easy ride I assure you, but we have all made the journey together. I am so grateful to have the amazing man I call my father here with us today. The support and love he reflects on other people is something really special only he has. I look up to him, he is my everlasting inspiration. We have an amazing relationship that I am so thankful for. It was an unfortunate and life changing accident that happened, but we all tried to see the positives and move on with life. My Dad is still able to support me in every way I have needed. We count our blessings every day.
Hi, my name is Steve McLeod. Forrest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” My life has definitely been that. I was born in Toowoomba but grew up in Bundaberg. Like a typical Aussie boy, I loved the outdoors, but most of all, I loved sport. I played everything I could – cricket, volleyball, I swam for the school team, but mostly, I succeeded at rugby league and basketball. To play basketball in a country town, especially at the end of the 1970s, meant you played in poor facilities and coaching was limited.
League was number one. However, I was lucky enough to play in representative teams for both sports. Another of my great life experiences was attending high school in the USA. This was unheard of in those days unless you were a rotary student. My parents made a huge sacrifice, and here I was at 16 years of age going to school and playing basketball in America. What an experience! I returned to Brisbane to finish school and made the decision to have a go-to the rugby league. There were no Broncos in those days. I was signed as a colt at Wynnum Manly in 1987, where Wally Lewis was head coach. This led to the first change of direction in my life. I broke my wrist during the pre-season, which resulted in two surgeries that year. Initially, the doctor told me I would not be able to play contact sport anymore. However, after the second surgery, I was able to start playing basketball again.
I managed to make some basketball representative teams, and never went back to rugby league. In 1989, I was asked to travel to the USA with the Brisbane Bullets and trial for the team. I made the team and played for two years – 1990 and 1991. Then, once again, my life changed direction when I was diagnosed with a rare knee injury, which ended my playing career. Fortunately, I had always studied, so I finished my education degree and became a PE teacher at St Josephs’ Gregory Terrace for several years. However, the professional ‘sports bug’ was still strong, and I returned to the Brisbane Bullets – firstly working in Junior Development, and eventually as Assistant Coach. I loved the team environment, competing and traveling all over Australia. Another door opened in 1998 when I was offered an opportunity to work in the medical industry. I saw this as a chance to set my family up for life. Starting as a territory manager, I ended up owning my own medical distributorship. Work was hard, but the rewards were good. In 2007, my life changed direction yet again. While overseas at an international Orthopaedics Conference, I experienced the first signs of a condition called Neurosarcoidosis – a rare disease that affects the central nervous system – in my case, hearing, vestibular, and spinal cord damage. Following extensive diagnosis and ongoing treatment, I now use cochlear implants to hear in both ears, and work around my mobility and balance issues, by using a combination of Canadian crutches, a walker, and a manual wheelchair.
This disease is very rare, and the ongoing treatment is somewhat experimental. Each year, I continued to deteriorate, and eventually, in April 2014, I was admitted to the Spinal Unit at the PA Hospital. Over time, the disease has infiltrated my spinal cord in the cervical region of my spine, causing me to have all the symptoms of a spinal cord injury. Whilst the spinal cord injury is proximal, the disease has affected me mostly below the waist – yet another rare response, not well understood by the medical profession. My time at the Spinal Unit was eye-opening. At first, I felt I didn’t belong, with many people in worse situations than me. However, once I was aware of how the Unit was able to help me, I became more comfortable and focused on my treatment. Since then, my health has stabilized. However, my work situation had to change. I could not work as an Orthopaedic Distributor any longer, as this required many hours of standing in operating theatres with Orthopaedic Surgeons. So, my beautiful wife, Heidi, and I opened two retail businesses. We sold one of these businesses in January 2015. Fortunately for me, yet another opportunity presented itself at the start of this year, and I accepted a role as General Manager of Power Mobility, a company that sells power chairs, scooters, mobility aids, and healthcare products.
We are all the sum parts of our own experiences, in our careers and in life. While my life looks slightly different now, I am determined to put my knowledge and experience to the best use and live as ‘normal’ a life as I can. I have been told to let my disability be my opportunity. For me, the greatest opportunity has been spending more time with my family since I was diagnosed in 2007. What a great gift! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell my story, and if I can ever be of assistance to Spinal Home Help, I would be happy to help.
Hello, my name is Patrick Dillon, I sustained a Spinal Cord Injury while swinging a rope into a shallow river, which left me a quadriplegic without the use of my arms and legs. After 30 years of my life being able to do work, playing football, surfing, and other various activities which involved the use of my arms and legs, and then all of that taken away in a split second was a huge shock. After spending 14 months in hospital, I was quite overwhelmed and scared with the thought of what it would be like living back at home.
I was very lucky with the fact that I had huge support from family and friends which made the transition a lot better than I had first thought. At first, I did not know what to do with myself, the technology I had been sufficient to do the basics, but I wanted so much more, and after watching every movie ever made became bored and frustrated with my life. I decided then and there that I was going to achieve something and make the most of the bad situation that I had been presented with. I started to conversate with occupational therapists and technology people on different gadgets and ideas I had which I could use to either study or re-enter the workforce. Since there was not a huge amount of people in my situation, the ideas and technology were not quite there.
It took a while, but we managed to put together some great devices which enabled my life to become a lot easier and more independent. With my independence growing, I started to embark on many different other challenges and social activities which five years ago I thought I could never achieve. Over the last four years, I have completed a Diploma in Community Services, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and currently, I volunteer at a transport company doing school talks whilst doing a Law degree. My life has still got its moments, but I am achieving more than I would have ever imagined being able-bodied. I understand that everyone has different circumstances and abilities, but there is always someone out there that may be able to give advice, help, point you in the right direction, or inspire you to achieve more.
I was scared and stubborn at the start and ended up wasting a whole year of my life doing nothing; with the ever-growing technology, there are heaps of gadgets and support that could help to achieve my goals and dreams.
My name is Malakai Tava, and I am a C2-C3 quadriplegic. In 2003, during a rugby game, I sustained a neck injury. A doctor advised surgery or retiring from football; I chose retirement. Three months later, I proposed to my fiancé, Julie. We celebrated our engagement at Mooloolaba with friends, commemorating their survival of the 2002 Bali bombings. That day changed my life.
After lunch at a lifesaving club, I went swimming between the flags. While body surfing, I misjudged a wave and struck a sandbar, leaving me paralyzed and face down in the water. Unable to move, I prepared for the worst until someone rescued me. I woke up four days later in the PA hospital intensive care, ventilator-dependent due to a spinal cord injury and collapsed lungs from saltwater inhalation.
Unable to speak due to tubes, I prayed silently, promising to improve my life if given another chance. That moment brought inner peace and renewed determination. Despite initial struggles, I focused on recovery, defying the doctor’s prognosis. During one ICU night, a mysterious nurse removed my ventilator, providing me the best sleep since my injury. Her description didn’t match anyone on staff, and I believe she was an angel.
In the spinal unit, rehab was gruelling—simple tasks like sitting up were impossible without help. Over six months, I gradually regained some independence. Before I was discharged, I was told I might have to live in a nursing home if my family couldn’t care for me. Refusing this, I launched a campaign to change the system, advocating for community-based support for spinal injury patients. Media attention pressured the government, leading to a meeting with the disability minister. I successfully secured support to live with my fiancé’, ensuring future patients could access similar resources.
Now, Julie is my wife, and we have a daughter. Life has its ups and downs, but we’re thriving, grateful for our journey and committed to improving the system for others.