Jan

Jan’s injuries

On Father’s Day 2021, Jan went for a ride on her Honda 500 with a good friend when she was involved in a head-on collision with another motorbike. Jan woke up a month later in the intensive care unit of the Princess Alexandra Hospital with multiple injuries, including compound fractures to her legs and a brachial plexus injury that has left her with no use of her right arm or hand.

Jan and NIISQ

NIISQ Intake team Support Planner, Eliza, first met Jan via a phone call in December 2021. It was just before Christmas and it was COVID — quite a challenging time. Eliza was able to learn more about Jan’s story so far, introducing her to NIISQ and demonstrating how we support people seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents.

Members of the Intake team are often the first point of contact for participants on their journey with NIISQ. Our Support Planners meet with each participant and provide a thorough understanding of how we can assist with their recovery journey and accident-related needs.

During these meetings, Support Planners engage in meaningful discussions to learn about the participant’s background, including who they were before the accident, and how we can best support their personal goals. This may involve facilitating their transition home from the hospital or setting up a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Support Planners’ primary focus is on the participant, their current situation, and the goals they have identified as most important to them.

“I truly value this job and the opportunity I get to be in these people’s lives.”

“As part of the Intake team I go into hospitals and meet with new participants in that challenging initial time after their accident. It’s a privilege, really. You’re meeting people in a time where they’re really having to adjust to a life circumstance,” Eliza said.

Though she needed to recover in hospital for another month, NIISQ was able to help put things in place for when Jan was ready to come home. This included installing handrails in the shower and providing ramps to help her access the front and back doors of her home.

“My life without NIISQ? I wouldn’t be living in my home. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now.”

“Not only did NIISQ help me with all these things around home, but they’ve facilitated and paid for all of my treatments that I’ve had since my injury. They’ve also paid for intensive physiotherapy sessions at Greenslopes Hospital and subsequent surgeries that I’ve had,” Jan said.

“I can only thank the staff for their caring attention. I’m not just a number. I really feel like I’ve been listened too.”

“To be that person who is there to guide them and be able to fund things that are really going to support them to get back to be who they were and be as independent as possible is a truly amazing thing.”

“The other huge thing that NIISQ has done for me is to modify my vehicle.”

“I’ve got family, I’ve got NIISQ, I’ve got friends. My life is fabulous,”