Our Favourite STRONG Moment

Learning to Walk Our FavouriteSTRONG MOMENT

WRITTEN BY KATELYN SWALLOW

Imagine being told “you’re a quadriplegic, but that’s the least of your worries – you’ll be lucky to survive”. That’s the reality that faced Motivational Speaker, Wellness Coach and Model Rhiannon Tracey following a freak accident in 2009. Twelve months later, she took a few tentative steps. Five years later, she was opening a clinic to help people just like her.

Holidays in Bali are an Australian rite of passage, but for Rhiannon Tracey, one vacation over 10 years ago changed her life forever. After diving into a resort pool incorrectly marked ‘deep’, she broke her neck and back, and instantly became a quadriplegic. With Tracey rushed to hospital and awaiting surgery, Bali was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. “It was in that moment I truly thought I was going to die – the trauma centre was literally falling down around me,” recalls Tracey. She survived – if only just – but spent a further two weeks in the Balinese hospital before she was able to be transferred to the Victorian Spinal Service in Melbourne. Her health had deteriorated rapidly by the time she arrived and doctors were forced to place her in an induced coma. “The spinal consultant informed my family that I would need further surgeries to correct what the team in Bali had attempted to fix in my neck and back. But for now, I had to make it through the next 24 hours,” says Tracey.

“I am a survivor! I had a total of three surgeries and was diagnosed a quadriplegic just months before my 21 st birthday. The chances of ever walking again were slim to none.”

Tracey was told recovery wasn’t an option. But despite not being able to even feed herself at the time, she was determined that she would one day walk. After months of frustrating rehabilitation, she felt Australia’s care system wasn’t for her.

“So began a gruelling journey of emotional and physical ups and downs and complete lack of options available for those with similar injuries in Australia,” says Tracey. “My mum eventually found a facility in San Diego that claimed to help those with paralysis walk again. Nine months post-injury and a bunch of fundraising later, Mum and I set out to travel across the globe to what would be the start of something incredible.”

Tracey has one simple message for anyone suffering. “Never lose hope! Our initial reaction after experiencing trauma of any kind is to give up, but our greatest response should be to give it all we’ve got.”

Although the US facility no longer exists, Tracey says the holistic care she experienced there formed the foundation for The Next Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery and Wellness Centre that she opened in March 2014 – the nation’s first not-for-profit facility of its kind. “I knew I had to create a space that not only focused on the physical aspect of recovery, but a place where recovery started from the mind

and every component of the individual’s goal was considered relevant,” she says.

“Building this organisation from the ground up has been one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced, but I had faith – just like I did when I had my accident – that the journey would have a happy ending. “Six years after opening the doors of our facility, I have a fantastic team of the best spinal cord injury recovery specialists alongside me and we are helping individuals rebuild their lives.” Tracey now spends her days juggling the intricacies of her injury: while she can walk if and when she needs to and feed herself, she still spends the majority of her time in a wheelchair and something as simple as going to the toilet is an effort. She turned to plant-based eating to aid her digestive issues and works hard in the gym to be as strong and resilient as possible. The rest of her day she spends running her business and sharing her story with audiences in the hope of inspiring others. Her advice when it comes to fitness? “Train for health and wellness, not for vanity! I was never into ‘fitness’ prior to my injury. In fact, I don’t love training now, which is exactly why I need to incorporate an element of fun into any training I do,” she says. “If it’s cardio, I’ll dance my butt off (even if I’m sitting on it). If it’s strength and conditioning, I’ll envision a boxing bag as being whatever is frustrating me and I’ll go full force on it. Training for me means scanning my body and working on whatever comes into my mind on that particular day.” S