News

“Break a leg!” they said…

There is no denying that this year has been more challenging than any of us ever could have imagined. Like you, I started 2020 with high hopes, big aspirations, and the energy to do more, be better and to relish new experiences.

Having started skiing at the age of 5, I knew the risks. On February 12th we packed our bags and flew to Canada for three weeks of skiing in Whistler Blackcomb. Little did we know we snuck this trip into our calendar just in the nick of time! Only, before the pandemic escalated, I found myself enjoying the remainder of my holiday from a hospital bed in Vancouver.

I did not know it at the time, but when I finally finished falling, I had broken my leg. The classic English idiom was my reality! I was rescued from Whistler Bowl’s ironically named Doom & Gloom run by 8 ski patrollers, helicoptered off the mountain, and rushed through the local ED for emergency surgery.

I like to think of myself as inherently optimistic; a trait that has safeguarded me in ways. I never could have imagined the recovery journey that would ensue, nor the fallout of the pandemic. I called Ange from my hospital bed saying I was “okay” and that I anticipated getting back to work as soon as possible! First, however, we needed to navigate our way home - which proved harrowing before, during and after.

It was hard to fathom what lay ahead for me arriving back in Melbourne at the start of March, with the first pandemic lockdown looming. I spent the next 2 weeks using a wheelchair, 5 weeks on sick leave, 16 weeks on crutches and using a walker, 12 weeks before I could shower alone, and 6 and a half months to walk up and down the stairs unaided.

On April 14th, a month later than originally anticipated, I returned to work with as much energy and optimism as I could muster. Some of you were aware of what was going on behind the Zoom calls, but many were not. I knew I was not alone with my own challenges, yet after the accident and despite the pandemic, I felt a sense of needing to prove myself. To make up for lost time, to be stoic - to succeed (whatever that means!) - I ran myself into the ground both emotionally and physically. I was blindsided by the reality that I needed to rewire the way I viewed myself, the world around me, and what I could achieve given the circumstances. 

For a moment in June, I attempted my first “run” and enjoyed my first swim at MSAC. I cried after. Now, 8 months on, my leg is still healing. I still walk with a limp, experience pain daily, and have a second surgery waiting for me in 2021 but I have come so far – we all have in our own way!

I am in awe of how incredible the human body is at coping with, and recovering from, trauma. If I could go back to top of the mountain and do it all again, I would. This experience has challenged me to practice patience, to be kinder to myself and others, to see beauty in the mundane, reframe my own measures of success and to appreciate the little improvements I make every day. These are all works in progress - but progress alone is something to be celebrated! 

So, what have I learnt from of all of this? Well… that life is messy, unpredictable, cruel, scary, and unfair at times. Yet there is always a silver lining; an opportunity to learn, something new waiting for us around the corner, and that we are stronger than we ever thought possible!

Rebecca Ashton - Managing Consultant