Catherine Newman recovering after spinal cord stroke

A former Australian representative has been confined to a wheelchair after a rare spinal clot. She now has less than a 50-50 chance of being able to walk again.

The life of former Australian lacrosse star Catherine Newman changed forever last month.

The 54-year-old suffered a stroke at her Geelong home on October 10, turning her life upside down.

But she is determined to bounce back and live her life to the fullest.

A three-time World Cup representative, she is now confined to a wheelchair after suffering what is known as a spinal cord stroke.

It was caused by a blood clot lodging in Catherine’s spine and has left her without feeling below her waist.

As she continues to undergo rehab, life in a wheelchair could be her new reality with a 60 per cent chance some feeling will return but a 40 per cent chance it won’t.

Despite it, the lacrosse star is keeping a positive mindset.

“It’s life changing but there’s heaps of stuff I can still do,” she said.

“The first 24 to 48 hours was a massive shock and you are trying to process everything. The first night was a sleepless night.

“My whole body was trying to figure out what was happening. But it could have been a whole lot worse, I might not be here if it lodged somewhere else.

“I've still got the upper part of my body, I can still write things on a piece of paper, I’ve still got my own thoughts, I can still communicate, so I’m grateful for that.”

Australian women's lacrosse team in 1997. From left: Cathy Flett, Coralie Owen, Leigh Middelhuis, Tracy Rehn, Carolyn Pickering, Cathy Morphett, Michelle Thomson, coach Jenny Williams, Kylie Taylor and Wendy Greaves.

Catherine was still playing lacrosse up until the day of the incident, filling in for the Newport Ladies reserves team, who she coaches, when they were short.

Her playing career has included state selection for South Australia and Victoria, having also played at club level for Glenelg, before she unofficially went into retirement in 2011.

In the last 12 years she’s continued to make the odd comeback.

But she will never forget the morning her chance to step out onto the field was potentially ripped away from her.

“I started making my breakfast and about halfway through I got a pain in my stomach,” she told this masthead.

“So I thought I’d sit down and get rid of the pain. I stood up to make my coffee and my legs were really weak and wobbly.

“I sat back down again and laid on my side to ease the pain some more.”

With the pain not going away, Catherine called her husband, Dennis, and later an ambulance.

She was rushed to hospital.

“A little clot had lodged in the spinal cord and restricted blood flow to a part of the spinal cord, which killed it off,” she said.

“It wasn’t getting any blood flow.”

Cath Newman (nee Morphett) playing for Newport women’s team a few years ago.

Newman is continuing her treatment at the McKellar Centre in North Geelong and will be there for at least the next month.

“I’m doing a couple of physio sessions a day, a morning session of weights to get my upper body into good condition,” she said.

“I’m also doing movement and balance physio in the afternoon. Without being able to feel the lower part of my body your balance is crucial to functioning everyday.

“As far as the foreseeable future it is early to tell whether I’ll get any movement back into the legs. Each day you are ticking off a box.

“I’m getting out of bed under my own steam now. I was relying on people to get me out of bed.

“Within that month time frame we have ticked off a couple of boxes.

“There are so many opportunities and things you can do even though you have been struck with a bit of bad luck or whatever it is.”

Catherine Newman representing Australia. Picture: Lacrosse Australia.

Catherine has also had great support along the way from and her family with additional backing from the lacrosse community.

Good friend and club mate at Newport Ladies, Kelly Hales, has created a GoFundMe page to support the sporting star.

It has raised more than $15,000.

An emotional Catherine said the support of everyone had got her through the hard times and given her a focus and a goal to achieve.

She’s now determined to get back to the lacrosse fields next year to coach Newport Ladies reserves again.

“It’s overwhelming, it leaves you speechless,” she said.

“Lacrosse is a tight knit community and you see these people every weekend and then you play against them and have a drink.

“They are always there for you, they always have your back and it’s really humbling. I’ve been focusing on things I still can do and one of them is going back to coaching.

“So many people are willing you to get back and get back to some normal life. That’s what you focus on.”

Catherine thanked her husband and family for being there by her side, the lacrosse community including Hales and her employer for being supportive through the ordeal.

You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.