Paramedic searching for Qld ambos who saved her life
She nearly died after being savagely beaten by her partner. Now this woman is on a quest to find the Queensland paramedics who saved her life – and inspired a career.
Crime & Justice
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LUANNE Willingham was barely alive — savagely beaten by a partner — but she can still hear the voices of the Queensland paramedics who pulled her back from death.
It’s been 18 years since the horror of that night in suburban Rochedale, south of Brisbane, left her comatose.
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In that time there’s been homelessness, financial struggles and endless nightmares.
But through all that — using the paramedics as inspiration — she forged a path to become one herself.
Now a paramedic in Victoria it became her way of thanking them.
But there is one nagging hole in her story.
She never got to personally thank the three Brisbane ambulance officers who gifted her life.
The 43-year-mother of four is now on a quest to find them.
“To meet them would really just bring my whole life and everything that I’ve gone through into a complete circle,” she told the Courier Mail..
“To personally thank them for the impact they’ve had not only on my life in saving it, but my eldest son ‘s life, who was there at the time, and my three beautiful children that exist now.”
Her memories of the traumatic event, which saw her beaten to the head with a ceramic pot, have faded.
But despite being unresponsive and later placed in a coma she remembers hearing the paramedics’ voices ‘can you open your eyes Luanne?’ and ‘squeeze my hand Luanne’.
To jog their memories and hopefully contact her she revealed little details that could serve as reminders.
The assault happened on Morbani Drive Rochedale, on March 16, 2001.
Luanne, then 25, was in horse riding boots and her five-year-old son Shaun, now a police officer, was comforting her.
“He was sitting with me, and he put some towels or pillow under my head,” she said.
“When the paramedics and police arrived he actually tapped on the arm of an officer and told them that my partner, who’s done this, is hiding in the dog kennel.”
She was taken to Logan Hospital.
Luanne still has the paperwork from the case. The paramedics’ signatures are unrecognisable but their service numbers are not.
They are 5980 (level 4), 6405 (level 7) and 6960 (level 4).
“Now being a paramedic, I get it, we help people. If you’re lucky enough, they’re able to say thank you and that’s the end of it,” Luanne said.
“But I have spoken to other paramedics and they’ve said if it was me that inspired your life to that point that you became a paramedic, I’d want to thank them too.”
If you can help Luanne find her lifesavers contact Ambulance Victoria on 03 9848 7343 or email media@ambulance.vic.gov.au
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