Life on wheels- Quadriplegic Antonio Vecchio with Lyndhurst

By Bridget Cook
A TRAGIC car accident left Antonio Vecchio a complete quadriplegic at the age of 19.
He shared his personal story about the accident, his recovery and his ability to rebuild his life with Lyndhurst Secondary College students last week.
Mr Vecchio was driving to work when his car rolled in wet conditions, leaving him a quadriplegic.
Following the accident, Mr Vecchio became deeply depressed, wondered if his life was worth living and if he would ever regain his place in society.
After almost 11 months in hospital and rehab, he began to feel more comfortable with himself.
He started the road to rebuild his life, including driving again, going back to work and playing wheelchair rugby.
Mr Vecchio’s talk to the students is part of the RACV SpinChat School Speakers Program organised by Independence Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that supports people with a disability or other physical needs to achieve their optimal quality of life.
Not much younger than Mr Vecchio, the students are in the high-risk category for reckless driving.
The program involves young people with a spinal cord injury visiting 5000 secondary school students across Victoria to talk about the risk of spinal cord injuries and the possible effects of careless and high-risk activities, such as driving dangerously or diving into shallow waters.