Kate's recovery from a spinal cord injury
Kate – runner, cyclist, swimmer; someone who doesn’t do things by halves. Other people might do a 5k fun run, Kate does marathons; other people cycle around the lake, Kate represented Australia at the world Duathlon Championship for her age group; others try a sprint distance triathlon, Kate does multiple IronMans. Having put in the work, and done the training for the 2020 IronMan Australia, she also qualified for the 2020 New York Marathon, and then the 2021 IronMan Australia. She was heartbroken when these events were cancelled due to COVID. She turned her time to consolidating her training, focusing on finding the next big event while maintaining her high level public service work throughout the bushfires, hailstorms and pandemic of 2020-21.
Kate’s dedication extends past her athletic achievements – impressive as they are. She is a respected and trusted HR professional in the Australian Public Service, and among her colleagues is renowned for always acting with integrity, performing her role with a dedication to what is right, and baking the most amazing brownies anyone has ever tried (and not sharing the recipe).
On Friday 30th July 2021, while cycling to work, Kate had a tragic accident. Slipping on a patch of black ice, her bike skidded into a fence, catapulting her over the handlebars and into the brush. She suffered from multiple broken ribs, and fractures to her C2, C3 and T4 vertebrae. Thanks to the assistance of passers by, and two dedicated ambulance crews and the fire brigade, she was taken to The Canberra Hospital, assessed and stabilised, and then transferred by helicopter to the Prince of Wales hospital in Sydney. Emergency spinal surgery that night left her in the ICU in an induced coma.
Kate was brought out of the induced coma two days later, and told the devastating news that she will never walk again.
There are lots of heroes in this story – the passers by who called the emergency services and kept her immobilised, the ambulance officers who transported her, the emergency staff at TCH, the medical and flight crew of the Toll Southcare Helicopter, and all the staff in Emergency, Surgery, ICU and the Spinal Unit at The Prince of Wales.
But Kate – champion athlete and competitor – is going to need all our support to face the challenges of the future and to continue to be the hero we all know.
Think about it – her car will need to be modified or replaced; her house will need multiple adjustments including ramps, rails, door widening, bathroom fitting replacement etc, etc – all of which needs to happen before she can come home, and before she can return to work. Kate is a very determined and independent person who likes to plan everything. Let's try and help her with the future.
Your generous donation will help Kate to adapt her life to meet this new challenge and to continue to give life her all – to continue to do the work she enjoys (and is good at), and to ensure she can be as independent as possible.
Thank you
