By Danielle Kutchel
A disability support service has helped a Cranbourne North woman to regain her confidence and enjoy her hobbies again.
After suffering a devastating stroke in her home in April 2018, Tina Davis was left without speech and with only limited movement in her right arm and side.
The stroke occurred while she was home alone, her husband Brett out driving his regular bus route.
It was only thanks to Brett checking a location app on his phone that he realised the day had not progressed as planned, when he saw that Tina had not left home for her appointments.
“I tried calling a few times and someone finally picked up, but no one spoke,” Brett recalled.
“I couldn’t leave work at the time, so my brother went to my house with the police to get inside. They found Tina on the bed. She couldn’t speak and she couldn’t move.”
The first two days in hospital were “touch and go”, Brett said, with even the doctors uncertain of whether she’d make it.
Thankfully Tina pulled through, but she had a long and challenging road ahead.
She was transferred to a rehabilitation facility and stayed there for around 11 weeks.
Brett said he would normally call Tina on his breaks at work, but in those first few weeks they couldn’t speak.
“I literally broke down crying – I couldn’t talk to her or communicate.”
By the time Tina left rehab she had regained some words, but the couple used a whiteboard to communicate for the first few weeks.
Over the next two years though, Brett noticed that Tina’s mental wellbeing was deteriorating and she was losing interest in going out or interacting with people.
Wanting to find a way to bring back the vibrant woman he knew and loved, Brett contacted disability provider Afford for help.
And that’s when the couple met Helen.
Helen is Tina’s support person, visiting her twice a week for one-on-one support.
Over the past two years the two women have formed a strong bond – a “Thelma and Louise” relationship, as Brett puts it.
Helen agreed that they have “matched really well”.
“We do coffee, trips to the shop, just the things women do well!” she laughed.
“It’s just basic stuff and we started having a lot of fun. Laughter heals the world.”
Since then, Tina has made remarkable progress.
She’s now returned to some of her passions, including cooking for her husband.
“We wanted to grow Tina’s confidence to get back out in her community, so we have organised days out to places like the Mornington Peninsula and to the beach to go for walks,” Helen added.
“We’ve done art classes and even gone out of our comfort zones to do belly dancing!”
And with perseverance, Tina is meeting the goals that she and Helen have set for her development.
“I make pasta for dinner for when Brett comes home. I catch the bus to go to Linden Village shops on my own. I ask for my own coffee now. I didn’t do that before,” Tina explained.
She said she is pleased with the progress she has made on regaining her skills and mobility.
“I keep trying and trying and I get things right,” she said.
“It takes time. It makes me feel proud.”
Helen added: “She knows she’s come a long way and life is a bit more joyous than it was. She has hope.”
Tina is now working on her goals for the future.
“I want to read a book and hold it in my own two hands. I want to get a part-time job and I’d like to get my licence again,” she said.
When speaking about his wife, Brett’s voice fills with pride.
The couple have been together for 20 years and are currently planning how to celebrate their anniversary later this year.
Brett said he’s glad they’re able to still enjoy life together.
“I see improvement in her every day,” he said.
“Life throws a curveball at you, but how you deal with it is what makes you. She’s shown determination. I’ll always back her all the way.”
For more information on Afford, visit www.afford.com.au or call 1300 233 673.
