My name is Robert Smith and I'm a C4-5 Quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident five years ago. This means that I have no feeling or movement from the chest down and rely on carers to shower, toilet, dress and feed me to survive each day.
Even though I was under the water for a long time before a friend saved me, I am lucky in that I suffered no brain damage and can now work from home. I have my own business designing websites and training people in voice recognition software (see www.alchemypages.com.au), fortunately for me my prior work experience, before I broke my neck, was in the related field of I.T. management.
Having great support from your family is crucial in regard to coping with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and I have that with my wife Margo. Together we have two beautiful sons Cameron (8) and Lachlan (6) who were babies at the time of my accident. I try not to let the chair hinder me as a father and I try to participate as much as I can in their lives for example, by helping with homework, going to soccer games and going with them on bike rides.
In 1999 and 2000 I was approached to talk to schoolkids in the Hastings area with regard to save diving. I felt this was a valuable project and hopefully will have got through to some of them - seeing me in my chair is a pretty powerful message!
Hopefully medical advancements will mean a cure for SCI one day. Until then I will continue to try and make the best of the horrific injury, and always remind people to
THINK FIRST
THINK SAFE
