Janette MacLeod: Ulverstone woman hits speaking trail after accident left her a C2 quadriplegic
A young Tasmanian woman has begun sharing the story of the accident that left her a C2 quadriplegic with school students so they won’t make her mistake. She reveals her dark days and new-found light.
Tasmania
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Ulverstone woman Janette ‘Jannie’ MacLeod, 22, “vaguely” remembers arriving to the birthday bonfire at Gawler in May 2020.
When she woke up two days later in Melbourne’s Austin Hospital, her life had changed. She was a C2 quadriplegic.
She had jumped on the tray of a utility vehicle on a quest for fresh wood to feed the guttering bonfire. She fell off.
“I vaguely remember rocking up and saying hello to everyone, next minute I’m waking up in Melbourne two days later,” Ms MacLeod said.
She spent the next 420 days or so in hospital, all during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning visitors such as her mum and her partner at the time were few and far between.
“I wasn’t allowed to see anyone for six months. I had to rely on FaceTime and the nurses,” Ms MacLeod, who lives independently with the assistance of two full-time carers, said.
“I had a tracheostomy, so I had to learn how to speak again. First two minutes, then five minutes, then an hour, I had to do it all by myself.
“I went through a very dark stage of my life. I had to listen to my friends go to birthdays and still live their lives while I was stuck in hell, especially during Covid.
“I was seeing the strain on my mum and friends and dealing with fact just six months’ prior my brother [Andrew] passed away suddenly.
“For the better half of last year I was really depressed and anxious, so much that I scared myself. I had to start therapy.”
However, after hitting rock bottom in 2022, Ms MacLeod has a new lease on life.
“I turned it into a positive note and realised my life wasn’t over. I survived this far for a reason, to spread my word and help people. I feel like I can do good out of a bad situation,” she said.
On Tuesday, Ms MacLeod will deliver her first motivational speech to school students – at her alma mater Leighland Christian School – to urge upon them the responsible consumption of alcohol.
“I remember what it’s like, you think you’re invincible, especially when you have a bit of bravery juice, which is what motivated me to get on the back of the ute,” she said.
“You’ve got to be responsible, careful. It’s so easy to damage your spine.”
She will also deliver a message that being disabled “is not the end of the world”.
“If I could just save one person from an accident or hurting their spine, then I’m doing what I’m called to do,” Ms MacLeod said.
Separate to her new iteration as a motivational speaker, Ms MacLeod is also the beneficiary of a cocktail party fundraiser at Ulverstone’s Gnomon Pavilion in November, hosted by the Rotary Club of Ulverstone.
The fundraiser seeks to raise money to purchase an accessible van to further her journey towards true independence.
An online fundraiser has raised approximately $6500 at the time of writing.
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