F E AT U R E
How one man got his life back through OT Emma Edwards
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hys Gray is a T9 complete paraplegic who credits a host of amazing occupational therapists and a vehicle modification specialist with getting him back to 90 per cent of his pre-injury life. “I had my accident on 5 September 2016: I fell off a truck at work,” he said. “The impact of that has definitely been pretty catastrophic. Hard on the person and on the whole family. “I have four daughters and a son, and when I had my accident, my eight-yearold daughter at the time was really upset because we do a lot of camping, fishing and shooting, and all that fun stuff. She thought that was it for us. That was the driver for me to get back out and do the things that I love to do. So I spent a lot of time trying to find occupational therapists who were as committed to my goals as I was.”
Versatility of equipment enables Rhys to get back to his passion.
Life transformed
Through his work with Tom Ely, Angela Rankin, Susan Lett and Ryan Waterman, Rhys says his life has been transformed. “I’ve got a Zoom wheelchair for the beach and snow, and I’m getting solar actuator gates on my farm to allow access without excessive transfers. I’ve got custom wheelchairs that have made a huge difference to my pain, and a custom bed – as I’m 6’1” and the standard mechanical beds don’t bend in the right position, which also affects pressure on my skin. Then there’s my kitchen which has lifts for the bench tops and the overhead cupboards. 26 otaus.com.au
Rhys’ custom ute includes a crane on the back, lifts in the doors and hand controls.
“That’s just a sample of what they’ve done for me. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with such great people.” But, given his lifestyle, Rhys says getting back into a 4WD was “huge”.
“I said to Ryan from Independence Automotive: ‘I need to be able to drive into the middle of the river and throw my chair out – then the dogs can swim, the kids can play, and my wife can drive the car out of the river. And that’s me back to normal.’
