Personal Stories
Carers and people with a disability have been given an opportunity to tell us their story. If you would like to share your story, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with DAW in the subject heading.
Loved ones have excelled, some have achieved much more than ever expected by the medical community and others continue to be an example of getting on with living a ‘normal’ life.
Kimberly and Frank’s Story
My son Frank is 14 years old and attends Mackay State High School in year 9. He has Down Syndrome and is very independent in both walking to and from school and also taking his own money to buy tuckshop (without assistance). He attended Mackay West up until half way through Grade 3 and for several reasons, attended the Special School until May last year when I moved him to the local high school. He has been fully accepted into the school community and revels in the social interaction with other students. He attends school each day from 9 until 12 then comes home for me to school him academically. He attends special ed during school time which also has community access. He participates in the Ag Science class with other grade 9 students – he will be learning how to ride a 4 wheeler and a tractor within the ag science curriculum.
Frank has matured into a very independent young man and he is learning to read 3 letter words at the moment. Acceptance into the school community occurred easily and he thrives on everyone knowing who he is. Every time we happen to go past the school, he says ‘Mum, I love that school’.
Whilst my expectations have always been for him to be the best he can be, I believe he has exceeded anyone’s expectations and the world is now his oyster. His goal is to one day work in a motorbike shop – this has been the case for as long as I can remember.
I will never be able to thank the Principal and Iris Harvey enough for allowing Frank the opportunity to be integrated into main stream schooling at such a late stage – it was a big call to have their first student with Down Syndrome!
Sharon’s Story
My son Hayden Bradford was born at 29 weeks gestation as the smaller of twins, he was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy at age 12 months and we were told he'd never walk! Which, we didn't believe for a moment. He had reflux from the day he was born til age 3 (so disgusting to vomit after every feed) and is/was slow to gain weight and reach milestones but he still made each and every one of them! On the 18/3/2010 he underwent SEMLS (single event multi level surgery) in Brisbane Mater Children's Hospital to correct his turning legs. They actually saw through 3 of his bones in his hips and shins and cut and repaired tendons in his bad ankle during this heart wrenching 4.5 hours of surgery. Then up to 12 wk's in a wheelchair and cast (Hayden determined - walked at 9.5 weeks post op) then onto a wheelie walker, then crutches before finally on his feet 14 weeks after surgery - now you'd think all that would stop anyone but not Hayden. During this time he completed his Grey Wolf badge (the highest award in cup scouts) and did his link up the scouts only 3 days after learning to walk again! But It doesn't stop there. In January this year, he ran for school vice captain and after a nerve racking round of application, test, interview, a speech in front of half the school and then to the vote - he WON - first time they've had a disability kid in the ranks of school captains - we are just so proud and it has given him the get up and go academically we had hoped it would, in his last year of primary school He is keen to bring up his marks and he has to help deliver morning parade/ speeches on special occasions and represent the school to other authorities etc which last month he had to do from a wheelchair! - as he had further surgery (another 2.5 hrs in theatre - just stretches your heart and mind all over again - just waiting for the parent lounge phone to ring to see if your child is ok) to remove the metalwork from 3 op sites on his legs on 5/5/11, just 3 days after his 12th birthday! So if all that isn't enough, he now has ambitions to go back to scouts and earn his scout medallion and to someday be an experimental scientist. All this from a 1.22 kg baby who spent 9.5 weeks in hospital and was told he's never crawl, let alone walk!!
TJ's Story
TJ was awarded the Mackay PCYC Youth Achievement Award Saturday 3rd September. As per the photos below he gets his name on the plaque at the centre as well as a smaller version for himself to keep. To read TJ's story click on this link.
David’s Story
HI GUYS, MY NAME IS DAVID. HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU! EXCUSE THE HIGH CAPS BUT IT’S EASIER FOR ME TO READ. BACK IN 2000 I HAD TO GIVE UP WORK DUE TO A MAJOR BACK INJURY. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD NEVER WORK AGAIN AND THERE WAS A GREAT POSSIBILITY OF ENDING UP IN A WHEELCHAIR ANY DAY. I WAS ON HEAVY MEDICATION, INJECTIONS, DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS, SPECIALIST APPOINTMENTS...THE LIST GOES ON. THEN ABOUT 2 YEARS LATER, MY PARTNER AND MYSELF WERE HAVING PROBLEMS IN WHICH UNFORTUNATELY WE BUSTED UP. KIDS WERE INVOLVED. SHE ABANDONED THE TWO OF THEM: ONE WAS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND THE OTHER 6 YEARS OLD. I GOT CUSTODY OF THEM. I GAVE UP MEDICATION BECAUSE I COULDN’T BE ASLEEP WHEN THE KIDS NEEDED ME. I ALSO GAVE UP SMOKING AFTER 30 YEARS. ALSO MY SOCIAL LIFE EXITED NOW. THE YEAR IS NOW 2011. I AM DOING PART TIME WORK, STARTED WORK 2 YEARS BEFORE HAND. STILL A SOLE PARENT – STILL CARING FOR 2 KIDS BY MYSELF. THEY ARE 10 YEARS OLD AND 14 YEARS OLD NOW. BUT I STILL DON’T HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE UNFORTUNATELY. SO WHAT IS BIGGEST IS NEVER GIVE UP, MOVE FORWARD AND GO HARDER. CHEERS, CYA, DAVID.
AS WELL, BOTH MY BOYS HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY, SPEECH DISABILITY, DIFFICULTY IN SOCIALIZING. ONE OF THEM HAS ASTHMA AND BOTH BOYS HAVE BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS. BUT HEY THERE ARE PEOPLE WORSE OFF THAN US. ANYWAY I HOPE THIS HELPS,CYA, DAVID