Ebby

Introducing Ebby

Ebby is a 27-year-old who enjoys living at Palm Beach on the waterfront. In January 2020, Ebby was a passenger in a vehicle which was involved in a motor vehicle accident. As a result, she was faced with her injuries which included a C2 ASIA A spinal cord injury.

“It completely changed my personality. After it happened I felt as though I was grieving the death of my own existence. I really struggled for a long time to come to terms with what had happened and the disconnect I felt,” Ebby said.

Ebby has come a long way in the past few years. She was able to secure specialist disability accommodation in Palm Beach, connect with a supportive allied health and care team, and recently trialled a beach wheelchair to maximise her lifestyle and enjoy the Gold Coast shores that she grew up on.

When asked about what life was like now, Ebby replied, “It’s definitely pretty good considering what I’ve been through. It has taken a while to adapt to living with a spinal cord injury, because it has not always been easy, but I’ve really grown as a person throughout it. NIISQ has been amazing and so helpful with linking me to the right supports and creating these opportunities and accessibility options that suit me.”

Ebby spoke about how she enjoys visiting her local shopping centres, but also of the stares she gets from the public when she is out and about in her power drive wheelchair. “It has certainly been a struggle for me to cope with mentally. Its uncomfortable when you just want to have a relaxing time at the shop.”

“It is really important for the general public to be considerate, open-minded and non-judgemental when walking past someone who has a visible disability. Put yourself in their shoes and think how it makes them feel. We are all people and we all have wants, dreams, desires and struggles, they’re just individual.”

Thanks for chatting with us Ebby and we can’t wait to hear more about what you achieve next.