25-year-old Amber Hill recently spent four weeks on the Sunshine Coast accessing a new Neuro Intensive Rehabilitation service at SCUH after a harrowing high-speed motorcycle accident.
Being 220km from her home in Childers, Amber was able to stay at Wishlist House so she could attend rehab daily without added stress.
“After the crash, I was easily triggered. I was on edge all the time. I had damaged the parts of my brain responsible for logic and reasoning,” Amber says.
“I needed help with perception and emotional management and increase my motor control, as the motor control for my left side had been affected."
Amber has been riding motorcycles on track since early October 2022, but on August 5 2023, she crashed into a concrete barricade at 160km/h. A tragedy which almost took her life.
"I sustained a severe traumatic brain injury among other injuries. Needing to learn to walk, talk, eat, drink and speak again.”
"I was admitted to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and placed into an induced coma lasting three weeks from the date of impact. I've had damage to my left optic nerves which have affected my eyesight."
Despite the challenges, Amber was determined to push through.
"I knew I had to put in the hard yards now,” she affirms.
Grateful for the proximity of Wishlist House during her rehabilitation, Amber highlights the pivotal role it played in her recovery journey.
"Around the two-week mark of rehab, I truly began to notice the positive impact and improvements my rehab had on myself," she reflects.
Thanks to the support generous of donors, patients like Amber are able to access affordable accommodation close to SCUH while undergoing crucial outpatient treatment.
