A love story of triumph over tragedy in Sarina

Taxi driver John May thought he was a dead man after a vicious stabbing attack

Karen and John May at their home in Sarina. Picture: Tony Martin

TAXI driver John May believed he was a dead man after being stabbed in a vicious attack.

For the first time, Mr May and his wife Karen have talked in detail about the fateful night that changed their lives forever and, in the process, brought them closer together.

A teenage passenger allegedly stabbed Mr May in his taxi on March 6 - an attack that he says nearly killed him and during which he almost lost his arm.

“I thought as I passed out that I was dying,” Mr May said.

“The fact that I’m alive is a miracle and if the knife had severed the other major artery in the arm I would have lost it,” he said.

The knife wound inflicted by the teenage boy, who is now in custody, was so severe surgeons had to open Mr May’s chest and fold back his pectoral muscle to get hold of the severed major artery in his arm.

“I wondered why I had survived and whether there was something spiritual behind this even though I’m not a practising Christian,” he said.

“I’ve been given a second lease on life and I also wonder if there is anything I should be trying to achieve.

“The world that I came out after the coma was also very different to the pre-coronavirus period before I was attacked,” Mr May said.

Cr May’s world came crashing down around her on the night of the attack when she was attending the Australian Tourism Awards in Canberra.

“After the police had called me to tell me of the attack on John, I struggled to compose myself and remain calm,” the Mackay Regional Council deputy mayor said.

“I was torn between duty and possibly having to receive an award, and wanting to get back to Mackay to be by John’s side.

“I could only get a flight back the next morning so after I had contacted family members on the phone, I spent an awful night in a Canberra hotel.

“John had been rushed to intensive care with life threatening injuries and put on a ventilator.

“He received 32 bags of blood plasma intravenously and it was touch and go for the next 48 hours as to whether he would survive,” Cr May said.

At that point, the doctors were uncertain as to the final consequences of the attack because the blood loss was so great.

Mr May was put into an induced coma but three days later the doctors slowly began pulling him out of it.

He spent eight days in ICU and received 60 staples to his wound.

The doctors estimate full healing will take 12 to 18 months.

In addition to the trauma of almost losing her husband, Cr May had to take part in pre-election campaigning for the Mackay Regional Council elections so her days were spent divided between her husband’s bedside and the council.

The balancing act appeared to pay off when she was elected deputy mayor as Mr May traversed the road to recovery.

However, he still appears visibly traumatised at times and says he gets upset when he thinks about what happened.

But he said seeing a psychologist and discussing the problem with his wife had helped him come to terms with the trauma.

“What has helped me to recover is the support of family and the great work done by the police, the ambulance, the hospital and the people who found me.

“To relax, I like to take walks with Karen and the dogs and to sit on the verandah or watch TV,” Mr May said.

“Physically I’ve still got plenty of strength in my arm but movement is limited. The occupational therapist and physiotherapist are working on this,” he said.

May, a fitter and turner by trade, will look for another job but he is adamant he will never return to driving a taxi because he could not put his family through this experience again and is afraid how he would react if another passenger became aggressive with him.

“Although I will miss my regular taxi clients with whom I used to chat and had formed friendships with,” Mr May said.

The couple are due to celebrate their 40th anniversary on May 24 and they both agree their shared ordeal has brought them closer together.

Pointing to a picture of their wedding day in 1980, Cr May said they had been through ups and downs in their long marriage.

They began dating when Cr May was 16 and Mr May 19.

“Our relationship has been a team effort with its share of difficulties,” Cr May said.

“We’ve worked through the issues and come out the other side stronger.

“All these problems are sent to test and try you and you can either give up or you can power through and come out the other end a better couple,” Cr May said.

When asked what the secret of a long successful marriage was, Mr May quipped with a grin on his face: “You do as you’re told.”

Equally as fast Cr May replied in a joking manner that he did not always do as told while the two held hands and looked into each other’s eyes laughing.

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