LINK TO... NEWS: LIVING A GOLD MEDAL LIFE WITH MY HEALTH APP

Living a gold medal life with my health app

Former Paralympian Marayke Jonkers has a decorated sporting career, winning three swimming Paralympic medals and a paratriathlon world championship medal, but there was a price to pay. In 2011, she retired from competitive swimming after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, an overuse injury of the upper body which prevents lifting of arms.

Now 43, Jonkers lives in excruciating pain and the Sunshine Coast resident regularly visits Brisbane to see specialists and uses the Australian Digital Health Agency my health app to keep track of key health information.

Whether it be viewing medical history, checking for the latest blood tests or pathology results, or being up to date with vaccinations, the app holds all her key health information.

“I’m looking forward to using the new features of the app, which includes the ability to store electronic prescriptions effortlessly, along with the rest of my key health information,” she told Link.

The latest enhancements have been made with accessibility in mind...

“My ability to move around isn’t what it used to be. I frequently rely on others to run errands and one of the most difficult is to get something from a chemist, especially when my identification is required for the specific types of medication I need. Having prescriptions digitally on the app would be so handy when you find yourself in a situation where you need to be in a capital city to see a specialist, like me, but my GP, who holds my prescriptions, is somewhere else.

“The ease with which I can get a medical professional to assist me makes a big difference when I have my health information in the palm of my hand,” she said.

“Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, and what the agency is creating with my health app, making life easier by having access to prescriptions digitally, is just one of those puzzle pieces that builds a fully inclusive world.”

Australian Digital Health Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole said my health app has come a long way since its launch in February 2023, with the latest features particularly useful for people with disabilities.

“The latest enhancements have been made with accessibility in mind, so all Australians can have access to their digital health information where and when they need it,” she said.

“Since the pandemic, the introduction of electronic prescriptions into the Australian healthcare system has made an enormous difference for people with disabilities. It’s now easier than ever to see your prescriptions listed securely and safely in my health app, along with other key health information powered by My Health Record.”

Jonkers became a paraplegic following a car accident as a baby. She won two swimming bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympics in the Women’s 150m individual medley SM4 and Women’s 50m breaststroke SB3 events. Marayke has broken 70 Australian records in butterfly, breaststroke, individual medley and freestyle.

In 2010, she became Australia’s first paratriathlete in the female category and paratriathlon medalist, winning bronze at the ITU world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

In November 2024, completed her second and final term as president of People with Disability Australia.

“I’m so excited for the future of the organisation. There are some young, amazing skilled advocates on the board who will take PWDA forward,” she said.

These days, her passion for life and spirit of adventure is as strong as ever. She has travelled around the world, skydived, studied life coaching and ridden a camel at the Pyramids in Egypt.

Her current goal is to share this passion for living what they call a ‘Gold Medal Life’ with the corporate world.

“The majority of my work today is about bringing the athlete mindset into the corporate world, or in the personal development space,” she said. “Everything I ever wanted to do, whether representing my country in sport or going to university and having a career, I’ve done. People like me are just going about our lives, we just happen to have a disability and are proud of it.”

New features of my health include:

• Storage of electronic prescription tokens

• Once registered for Active Script List (ASL) there are options for linking and delinking

• A redesign to enhance user experience

• The ability to manually add or edit medicines, allergies, and adverse reactions

• Updates to the organ donor status information screen

• Options to add, update and view emergency contact information

• It can switch between light and dark modes.