Kingaroy mother Karen Quickenden shares stroke story

A mother of three who had to learn to walk and talk again after suffering a stroke and crashing her car on a South Burnett road has shared how funding to a Sunshine Coast hospital could save lives.

Karen Quickenden. Picture - contributed.

A mother of three who had to learn to walk and talk again after suffering a stroke and crashing her car on a rural road has shared how funding to a Sunshine Coast hospital could save lives.

Kingaroy mother Karen Quickenden faced a life-threatening situation when she suffered a severe stroke while driving home from work two years ago.

The dramatic sequence of events began when police spotted her vehicle swerving erratically.

Recognising the danger, they intervened by using their patrol car to stop her car.

With Ms Quickenden unable to move or speak, emergency services were called to cut the 42-year-old free from her car and rush her to the Kingaroy Hospital.

From there, doctors confirmed Karen had suffered a stroke and she was flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane for an emergency clot retrieval procedure.

“I had no idea the stroke was coming, until it happened – I was thinking ‘what is wrong with me’. I couldn’t speak or move,” Ms Quickenden said.

Her stroke caused damage to the left side of her brain, which has affected her right arm and leg.

“My oldest daughter Tamisha... she sat at that hospital nearly every day. Dannica is my next oldest and she has three girls and I remember her bringing my youngest granddaughter in who would hold my hand,” she said.

Karen Quickenden and her daughter Maralee. Picture – contributed.

Her youngest daughter, Maralee, was just 16 at the time. Ms Quickenden said it was heartbreaking being unable to support her teenager during such a challenging period for the family.

“My older daughters live in Brisbane and on the Coast, so Maralee had to grow up very quickly unfortunately, and she took over looking after our property in Kingaroy,” she said.

After three weeks of initial treatment, Ms Quickenden was transferred to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) where her journey to recovery began and has been ongoing for the past two years.

She spent two months as an inpatient at SCUH undergoing extensive rehabilitation including speech therapy, physiotherapy and other essential services.

“Every day I would drag myself out of bed – I was determined to regain my life,” Ms Quickenden said.

She has worked tirelessly to regain her ability to walk and talk and remains hopeful to achieve more movement in her right arm and fingers.

Her goal is to be able to pick up toys to play with her youngest granddaughter.

Ms Quickenden’s health journey has deeply impacted her family.

Her youngest daughter Maralee received the call about her mother while at school.

Karen Quickenden with her mum, daughters and granddaughters. Picture – contributed.

“When I saw her in hospital, it was really shocking,” Maralee said.

“I thought I was losing her.”

Tamisha says she was told her mother had a car accident and it wasn’t until later that she found out it was because of a stroke.

“Mum was in her 40s, she’d never had any major health issues – it was definitely a shock,” Tamisha said.

“The thing that upset me the most was that she was such an independent person and then seeing her sitting in a hospital chair not even being able to cry properly, it was heartbreaking.

“My biggest fear was if she was never going to speak again – it’s almost like a jail sentence in your own body.

“You do wonder if it would have been different, if she was closer to a major city when this happened – time is of the essence.”

Ms Quickenden is bravely sharing her story to highlight the critical need for the proposed biplane unit at SCUH, which is one of the busiest stroke wards in Queensland.

This unit, which Wishlist will fundraise $600,000 for at this week’s Wishlist Spring Carnival, will be vital in treating strokes and brain aneurisms, saving the burden of disability for countless people in the future.

“If this is available to more people to increase their chances to returning to a normal life – it’s only positive,” Tamisha adds.

For now, Ms Quickenden continues her path to recovery, surrounded by her family and the dedicated health heroes who have supported her each step of the way.

You can support Wishlist and help fund the Biplane Unit for the benefit of stroke patients here.