Two families dealing with spinal cord injury and a lifetime of rehabilitation have joined forces to open a specialised recovery centre in Thomastown.
Doreen resident Rhiannon Tracey became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in Bali in 2009.
During her recovery, doctors and physiotherapists told Ms Tracey, now 24, that she would never feed herself again. But four years later, she can not only feed herself but can also drive solo in a modified car and walk short distances with the aid of a walking frame.
Ms Tracey attributes the success of her recovery to a holistic approach, using modern medicine and physiotherapy with alternative treatments like acupuncture and massage. It’s a recovery method which, she says, doesn’t get enough attention in Australia.
Now she plans to open a one-stop, not-for-profit recovery centre in Thomastown for people with spinal cord injuries. It will be called The Next Step and will employ a range of recovery techniques.
Ms Tracey will receive the bulk of funds needed for the centre from Glen Waverley woman Effie Klapsos, whose brother Gabriel became a quadriplegic following a motorcycle accident in 2008.
Ms Klapsos crossed paths with Ms Tracey and her mother Sharon Bradford while her brother was in recovery at the Austin Hospital’s Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.
Ms Klapsos and Ms Tracey will hold a fund-raiser at Misty’s Diner in Reservoir on October 27, with all money raised to go to The Next Step. Ms Tracey says they are looking for volunteers to host face-painting and child entertainment to help with fund-raising.
» TheNextStepSpinalCordInjuryRecovery or rhiannontracey.com.au
