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Susie was living a normal life as a mother of two children until she was tragically struck down by a brain aneurism when she was 35. She was left totally helpless – she had no control of her limbs and was unable to speak or communicate.
Doctors told her husband Steven that Susie might attain some minor level of muscle movement but would never be significantly any better than she was. They said she would never walk, talk or eat again.
It was recommended that Susie be moved to a nursing home. But Susie and her family refused and she returned to her Greenslopes home to live with her husband and 2 children. It had been discovered that Susie had full cognitive function including her full memory, emotions and mental abilities and she now communicates through an electronic communicator, while still working on her speech.
Her family’s search for a form of rehabilitation to provide Susie with a decent quality of life lead to involvement with FOBIC and beginning a NDTP with Ian Hunter when she was 37.
The initial goal of the therapy program was to free up the muscle and joint tightness that had occurred since the time of Susie’s traumatic brain injury. Several trips to hospital for orthopaedic surgery assisted this process, and finally Susie was able to gain more control over her arms and legs. As a result, progress was made in teaching Susie how to take weight through her legs in a standing position, and also how to control her balance and posture. After several years of hard work, Susie was able to stand independently, and finally she began to take a few steps. There is still a lot of work to do to improve her posture so that she has better control when stepping, but she has come a long way from those earlier predictions of being unable to have any control over her body.
Statement from Susie:
“My name is Susan and I first met Ian Hunter in April 1997, eleven months after having a brain haemorrhage at age 35. Ian promised me nothing but hard work in my effort to rehabilitate myself.
The brain haemorrhage left me a spastic quadriplegic with no speech. His honesty touched me. I remember asking him when was I going to be able to walk again and he said – no promises – that’s if I would ever walk again.
I remember doing an exercise called patterning and he was right, it was hard work and painful. My stiff body had not been moved in a year. However each quarterly review when I saw Ian he motivated me. I also have a family that stuck by me and love me.
I am at the point now after 7 years on program, where I can step independently from one chair to another in our front room. This is only thanks to the dedicated team of volunteers I have had over the years and the inspiration of Ian Hunter.”
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