As we move further into the NDIS and disability space, I asked Jess to share a few words about her personal experience with disability, Physiotherapy and the NDIS.
She came back with some very beautiful and moving words which I would love for you to read!
Why disability made me a Physio - By Jess Bell.
My sister is the main reason that I am a Physio.
She was born with hydrocephalus, an incurable congenital brain
condition that leaves her with many difficulties in all spheres of
life. The only thing preventing her from certain death is a
plastic tube spanning from her brain to her stomach. And it
could block at any time.
If you met my sister today, you wouldn’t even realise she had a
disability. She walks, talks and lives life with an insane amount
of determination and joy. But when you delve deeper, the pain
and struggles she has to overcome to appear ‘normal’ would
blow you away and bring you to tears.
If we take just the past 2 years, she has survived 8 brain
surgeries and still lives with excruciating pain every day. Her
brain literally starts to expand or collapse on itself as it cannot
manage changes in fluid pressure. Trips to the emergency
department are treated like trips to the shopping centre and to
top it off there is the despair of knowing that she may live the
rest of her life with no cure or relief.
Sounds pretty depressing. In some ways it is.
But despite the darkness, there have been some beautiful
things that have come from my sister’s condition.
My sister defied the odds in every way. Much of it was because
of Mum. She was told her daughter would never walk or run. So
Mum bundled us up every week to the physio where my sister
would build her strength, balance and confidence. I would
watch or join in as she attended class after class with other kids
just like her. Hands tightly gripping onto Mum or Dad, she
would spend hours bouncing on the trampoline to build her leg
strength. Holding onto her makeshift trolley, she would
tentatively wobble from one end of the room to the other.
Now, hands tightly grip the reins as she turns her horse to the
next jump. Every week, she walks herself to the general store to get the newspaper so we can do the Saturday quiz together. She runs through life without a single question of whether she is strong enough, balanced enough, able enough.
That’s why my sister is the main reason that I am a physio.
After all those hours watching Physios tirelessly join Mum in her
determination to not let disability beat my sister, I knew that I
wanted to do that too.
Over 4.4 million Australians have a story just like my sister’s. Whether it’s cerebral palsy or autism, acquired brain injury or a congenital condition, each person deserves to have their story heard and to be appreciated for who they are. That’s where the NDIS comes in.
NDIS didn’t even exist until my sister was 13, but the support
and freedom that it gave her and my parents was a godsend. It
now allows her to access regular physio, hydrotherapy and
equine therapy so she can achieve her goals.
Our mission at Formotion is to continue this legacy by helping clients find joy through movement and reach their goals through exercise and hands-on treatment. Physio definitely isn’t the answer to all the challenges of disability, but it can play a major role in building clients’ confidence, strength and function.
Every step toward those elusive goals matters, and it is an honour to join you in the journey.
Jess will be taking on new NDIS clients primarily from our Joondalup clinic which is best suited to kids and teens with disability, however we can also see you from our West Perth or Osborne Park if this suits you more.
For more info please visit our webpage.