Colette had always lived an active life, teaching spin classes and yoga, going to the gym and enjoying outdoor activities like running and cycling. She had a loving family with four children and had travelled to various places with her husband and kids. Life was full of adventure and social connections.
However, a tragic accident changed everything. While cycling in Dubai, she had a severe crash that resulted in a brain bleed. Colette was rushed to the hospital, and her family worried if she would survive. After emergency surgery and a long stay in the ICU, she spent three months in an in-patient rehab centre to begin her recovery.
The accident left Colette with significant challenges. She had to re-learn many daily activities through physical, occupational, and speech therapy. At first, she couldn’t speak, walk, or even remember her family. Over time, she made progress, but she still struggled with short-term memory, finding the right words, and daily independence. Driving became impossible, and she had to rely on her husband, family, and her therapist, Kusum, for support.
Colette started speech and language therapy at Hobbs Rehabilitation, using Zoom for convenient sessions. Despite the difficulties, she had seen improvement over the year. Natasha Annis, her treating therapist, focused on helping her find the right words and enhancing her reading skills. Colette could now communicate with family and friends through messages, read parts of a menu, cookbooks, and news articles on her phone.
The therapy gave her the confidence to deliver a speech at her son’s wedding, a significant milestone for her. Colette acknowledged that progress wasn’t easy and took time, but she remained positive and grateful for how far she had come. She felt fortunate for the support and structure provided by therapy.
Natasha was impressed by Colette’s motivation and daily dedication to therapy which led to remarkable progress over the past year. She achieved impressive goals and Natasha has remained committed to supporting Colette’s ongoing journey of recovery and adaptation.
Colette worked hard every day on speech, movement, and cognition therapy, acknowledging that it could be tiring but essential for her progress. Thanks to her efforts and the support of her loved ones, she felt more like herself now, even if she still saw differences. Her family and friends embraced her with love and appreciation for the strides she had made. While adapting to her new life, therapy played a crucial role in helping her feel like she was doing everything she could to keep improving.