I’m 43 years old and basically I’m going to have to start again

Some friends and I would usually meet up on Saturday morning and we’d go for a ride from Cairns to Port Douglas. I’d done it many times before. This particular Saturday, in August 2007, I was getting into the ride, really enjoying it, and went into a corner … I don’t remember anything else about the crash.
By pure luck an off-duty paramedic was the first person to come long, otherwise I would have bled to death on the side of the road.

I woke up in hospital and my wife and two kids were there. She told me I’d been in an accident. I’d lost a lot of blood. My leg was broken, my shoulder was shattered, and I had a broken hand and foot. I’ve had a lot of complications with infections. I was in a wheelchair for 6 months, and I still have a massive brace on my leg. I’ve had eight operations in the last 15 months. I’ll never have full movement in my arm, but the doctor reckons I‘ll eventually be able to walk pretty well normally.  

I was working as a rigger in the mining industry. I won’t be able to do that kind of work anymore. I haven’t been able to work since the accident 15 months ago. I’m 43 years old and basically I’m going to have to start again. I’ll have to be retrained.

Financially it’s been tough. We’ve had to move to a smaller place. We can’t afford to give the kids the things we’d like to at Christmas and birthday times. Just going out for dinner is an impossibility now. My son was in the Queensland basketball squad, but this year he couldn't play. We couldn’t afford it.

All of this just because of  Saturday morning ride. It just shows how fragile life is and how quickly your life can change so drastically forever.
 

The house is just so empty

Good night uncle Ronnie