Joy fell from her horse on Christmas eve, she was left a paraplegic. As a mother to three young children, this life changing moment devastated her family.

She remembers waking up on the ground with ambulance officers working over her and her terrified family telling her the helicopter would arrive soon.

Amidst the turmoil and chaos of the accident, all Joy could think about was Christmas and what this accident would mean for her young kids, who were only four, seven and nine. 

“It was a terrible time. I ruined my kids’ Christmas. I hadn’t wrapped their presents, I didn’t have everything ready for them, it was just awful,” Joy said.

Joy longs to be the mother she once hoped to be.

“Nothing is simple and easy anymore, and a cure would mean that perhaps those things would come back,” she said.

Since Joy’s spinal cord injury, she has faced the heartbreaking reality that she can’t be the mother to her children that she longs to be. She can’t ride a bike with them or teach them to swim. She can’t run to comfort them if they fall and hurt themselves.

Joy desperately wants her independence back. She aches to be the mum she has always longed to be for her children, and she would love nothing more than to enjoy a ‘normal’ Christmas again.

Joy works hard on her rehabilitation and is learning to accept her injury. She is hopeful for a cure for paralysis.

“A cure for me personally would mean independence. It would mean being able to plan my day without relying on anyone else’s help,” Joy said.

Joy kindly shared her story as part of our tax appeal. Over $130,000 was raised and incredibly this year this will be matched but a generous supported of the Foundation. This means over $260,000 will go directly towards a human clinical trial and a cure for paralysis. 

We are so grateful Joy decided to bravely share her story and we are grateful to everyone who donated to the tax appeal.

Feature Image credit: Jasmine Dunmore Photography