Andrew

In 2004, at the age of just 17, a day diving with mates ended in disaster when Andrew hit the bottom of the river head first, resulting spinal cord injuries that left him a quadriplegic. (more)

Anthony

Anthony Gray is 24 years old and lives in a modifi ed house in Lalor with his mother, father and sister.

A BMX bike accident at 19 years old left him a quadriplegic. Anthony has ridden bikes his whole life, and fallen

thousands of times. So initially he thought this time was no different, until he saw the ambulance coming his way. (more)

Ben

Ben became a quadriplegic 11 years ago, as a result of a motorbike accident when he was 18 years old. But with an extremely supportive family and a beautiful daughter to take care of, Ben considers himself a lucky man. (more) 

Elias

Elias came into the world weighing a mere498 gms - that's less than a tub of butter! His parents brought him home at nine months, and were told that he would never walk, talk, eat without assistance or be without his oxygen tank for longer than ten minutes.

Behind his gorgeous smile and infectious nature, Elias lives with cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, epilepsy and vision impairment. (more)

Geni

When Geni fell pregnant, like any other mother-to-be, she shifted into preparation mode for arguably one of life's most challenging experiences. The difference between Geni and most other young mums is that she have cerebral palsy, which means she have limited mobility and use an electric wheelchair most of the time. Geni admits the task of getting the house and herself ready for the arrival of Ruby, was incredibly physically and emotionally daunting. She says, "If it wasn't for Independence Australia's Case Management and Counselling Services helping me during this time, I wouldn't have coped." (more)

John

John's symptoms started over 20 years ago, but were only diagnosed as multiple sclerosis in 1992. There was no known history of MS or related illness in his family, so the news was devastating. But he attributes his ability to deal with it tohis supportive daughters, the love of two grandchildren and 43 years of marriage to a wonderful wife. (more)

Melanie

At 21, Melanie's life was turned upside down when a severe asthma attack left her a quadriplegic. "You can't even contemplate being told you'll never walk again", she says. "It took some time to sink in and even more to start planning how I was going to live my new life". (more)

Selena

In 2006, after years of motorbike riding, Selena was involved in a tragic accident during a fun day riding with a group of like-minded friends. She was thrown off her bike which left her paralysed from the chest down. (more)

 Shane

At just 23, Shane, is an incomplete quadriplegic having broken his neck in a diving accident in 2007. (more)

 Susan

When Susan was just 18 years old, a horrific car accident left her in a coma for months. After waking up, she was told that she had been put back together again, but she couldn't walk, talk or see for the next 18 months. She had acquired a brain injury and a spinal cord injury, and the trauma of the accident also surfaced two pre-existing conditions - myofacia, a muscle and nerve degenerative illness and spina cerebral atrophy, which also affects the muscles and nervous system, leading to spasms, imbalance, memory blocks and chronic pain. (more) 

 Ty

Ty has overcome enormous difficulties almost from the minute he was born in a small village in Vietnam. After Ty contracted polio, his mother, out of desperation, took her disabled son down to the Mekong River and set him adrift in a basket.  This was the start of a long, often dangerous, life-journey but Ty is a survivor and his disability hasn't stopped him achieving great things both professionally and personally. (more)