12 MONTHS ON

It has been a while since the last blog, however as most of you are aware and the rest can imagine...time has me restricted in articulating our recent movements.

I can't believe I write the words 12 months....12 months ago, I was trying to get my family home from Bali & I was contemplating the world, as I watched Simon in the worst physical pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. 1 year has passed, & each day is a challenge, physically & emotionally. The longest year of my life of realising the importance of existence...life is short & things can change in a split second. It is not a dress rehearsal, you only get one shot. Making the most of the life ahead is the new ethos on life. Our family is a strong unit & continues to be so. The friends are no longer friends, they are our family too. I hope you all realise the importance of life, laughter, love & all that family that surround you. Don’t wait for something to happen to realise.

Sunday was 12 months to the day, when our world was turned upside down, inside out and back to front. Every second from the moment Simon hit his head on the bottom of the pool until now is vividly implanted in my memory. I refuse to be consumed by those thoughts, however, marvel at Simons progress from such uncertainty to basically normality. Albeit, life is not what we called normal, we are now living a new normal.

Simon continues to live life to its fullest by working full time being the superintendent at Cottesloe Golf Club, driving and certainly socialising. Although there are obvious restrictions and continued health issues, still taking each day as it comes is the motto.

Our attention has been on the rebuild of our home. With the slab going down before Christmas, we were excited leading into 2011 that our home was starting to take shape. Fortunately for me, I have been in control of the rebuild and therefore have had the majority of the input. In saying that....Simon did get to pick where a window for his bar was to be placed...I think that's enough input for him !!

He has insisted that he be in charge of the outside component, where he has become adamant that we will be having artificial lawn.....not a good sign coming from a 'Golf Course Expert' !! I understand that having someone else cut his lawn would be a frustration and we have debated the environmental advantages however, I have Crossy & Des doing their best to convince him that the real lawn is where it is at.

We had hoped to be in the new abode by Easter and it it isn't looking like that will eventuate, hopefully not too long after that though.

There has been numerous investigations into various treatments since Simons injury. We have looked at Stem Cells for the Spinal cord, hyperbaric chambers, a new programme called Walk-On and others which will hopefully be embarking on in the near future, however without FDA Approval on most of the treatments, it is hard to decipher the best avenue.

Alexandra and Georgia have adapted to this life well and make positive progress in dealing with certain restrictions as we are.

Thank you to all those people who have been there for us in the past year, and to those that continue to be there for us in so many different aspects of our life. We will forever be grateful for your love for our family.

Below is an article written by Brett Robinson and published in the Australian Turfgrass. He has known Simon for a while through industry connections and contacted us asking if we would do the article. Simon felt that although it would be difficult to relive certain moments, it's also a way for people to understand the importance of 'getting on with it'. Enjoy the read.

SIX MONTHS

Well it sure has been some time since the last blog, and as a result, the updates are aplenty.

In the early days, we were told Simon could be a long term patient at Shenton Park, some were saying he could be there for 9 months. When Simon got to Shenton Park he was telling people he would be out by Round 10 of the AFL...and I would stand in the background telling people it would more than likely be well after the grand final.
He was out by Round 11. Simon successfully proved to the professionals, and myself, that the power of mind made it possible for him to reduce his stay to 103 days, just over the three month mark.

Since his release, there has been many more moments of great achievements from Simon. He started going back to work, yes work !! Most people take an average of two years to get back into the workforce, and very rarely back into the same field.
He started off small, going in for a few hours a couple of times a week and would then go to Shenton Park for Physio. It was proving to give Simon a great sense of normalcy. Coming home from work and talking about the course, I couldn't help but be so happy for a change to listen about the greens, fairways and every other facet of the course, which I used to merely hear the conversation but not listen.

Cottesloe Golf Club have gone above and beyond to ensure Simon's return to work has been accessible and with little frustrations. His boys in the shed have also been a tremendous help to Simon and continue to do so. Although I am sure having 'The Boss' back may be bittersweet =)

Simon started his driving lessons in a converted car with hand controls. On the first lesson, he gave the instructor a little scare when his foot slipped on the accelerator...thank goodness for the dual controls in those cars!!

So now Simon has his licence, so for those travelling on Perth roads, you have been warned! This was another milestone that has had a monumental effect on our lives in so many ways. Due to this freedom, Simon of course took that as an obvious calling to go back to work full time. Everyday, he goes in to work and gets on with his day. Now with Daddy driving, Alexandra got a special pick up from school. Finally we satisfied her ongoing requests to use the 'special blue bay' in the teachers car park. It was a very exciting moment for Daddy and Daughter.

We have moved home temporarily while our old house gets knocked down and is replaced with our new dream home. Danmar Homes have been instrumental in arranging this process for us and doing what they can to reduce the cost involved in building a new home. My taste for the finer things in life may be making that process a touch slower.

So we are 6 months on and although some may say its gone quick...I beg to differ! Looking back at the early days, we were living day by day...quite literally, not knowing what was to happen on the tomorrow. So much uncertainty for us that has been overcome, however we are left with so much more. Everyday is a challenge, but we will not be defeated !

Special mention to all those people that have seen what we have been through and what we continue to go through, and have chosen to "better" their lives from it.

When all the little things are put to one side, it all boils down to the fact that you can't live in this life without that love.

25 May 2010 post Quiz Night

Given some time to reflect on the events of this weekend, we are still in awe of the support from the Quiz night. As we mentioned on the night, 1000 people showing us that we aren't going through this alone.

The days leading up to the quiz night, those around us were asking if we were excited, and to be honest, we were very anxious about what the evening was going to entail. Considering we were hesitant on the whole quiz night idea when it was going to be 200 people. It is safe to say we are blown away.

Simon has a knack of making people feel comfortable around him, and that is a testament to his attitude towards life. Because at the end of the day, that's what we have to be grateful for...life.

There were so many of you keen on having a drink and chat with Simon and although many only got a brief chat, we know we will be having more than just one drink with you all in the future.

Although Wynnie has the gift of the gab, he was giving it his all in the Auction and almost lost his voice. Meaning those thousands of cards he keeps handing out with his mug on it would be rendered useless =) Andrew Wynne was fantastic, not only on the night, but leading up to it all, he has been so supportive and genuinely caring towards our family. Thanks for all the hard work Wynnie.

When he approached us about sitting down with us on stage to talk about certain parts of our life, we immediately started to type away our little speeches. Not at any point did we realise that when 2000 ears are hanging on to every word you say, all the words you had prepared, seem to go...

For the parts we were able to get out and the parts we missed, we would like to take this opportunity to show you what Simon and I compiled for the speech portion of the evening. The bold is Simon's wording and the rest is mine.

Holly shit you don’t realise how many people are here until you get up here. Thanks a lot for coming tonight, Marina and I really appreciate it. You have all shown us so much compassion, generosity and moral support that we will forever be indebted to you all.

Nights like these don’t just happen you need someone to bring things together so I would like to thank myself for breaking my neck. It’s amazing the things you can do or get when you’re in a wheelchair for example. Nuts and I got bumped up 100 spots in the waiting list to get full membership to the WACA, I would like to thank Mal Par for helping with that. The other bonus is that I get to park basically inside the shopping centres with my special blue permit.


We would like to thank all organisations, businesses, and friends of friends, that have donated not only the auction items, wines and food available tonight, but also for their time in organising stages, microphones, and all the other little bits and pieces that have made tonight come together.

Thanks to Ryan for organising all the technical side of things tonight, I’m not too sure about the big screens mate.

Thank you to all at Cottesloe Golf Course, who have provided peace of mind throughout this turmoil, especially Brad & Des. Finally my handicap may be a bit better than yours Brad. To my Boys in the shed and to Crossy and the Mt Lawley boys, thank you for making our lawn at home green. Now Marina's expectations have been set too high, good on ya!

Thanks to others in the Golfing Industry for your support, for visiting me and for keeping me in the loop with what’s been happening. Especially Stevo from Toro for helping in the organisation of tonight and for donating and customising a buggy for me to continuing working at Cott. Thanks to Gazza from Dickies, who I blame for the decline of my tab account and for all his donations for tonight’s auctions. Especially the ones that didn’t quite make it here tonight.

To the 4 mums at Glengarry Primary School, Ruth, Richelle, Cath & Katrinio. Friends for life who treat our children as their own and for that we will be eternally grateful.

To the crew at Shenton Park who put up with my constant ability to give shit and for stealing all of my lollies. I know you will all struggle once my stay there is over, but I also know that I have made some good friends. I never want to hear the words "red keys" again.

To Hayley, my friend and my right hand girl. She looks after my business as if it where her own. She even has the moxie to order me around, but allows me to focus all my energy on my family, Thank you.

To our lifelong friends who have been there for us in a way that can only described as being like family. Most will need to be nicknames to make it easier. Kel & Troy, Ditch & Brea, Macca, Maz, Happy, Coops & Tanya, Jade, Birdy & Sasha, Tam, the Michaels, the Halls, the Cunninghams, the Kirkbrides, the Balls, the Sanders, Whitey from Danmar Homes, Rourkey, the members at the Sorrento Duncraig Cricket Club and North Beach Footy Club. Thankyou

Alan, Brad & Darryn....also fondly knows as Knelly, Nuts & Nails. Simon has known Knelly since he was 4, they played tee ball together, they went to school together, and still today they are best mates. What you have done for us Alan, I can only ever offer a lifetime of dinners to come close to repaying you. I was going to say leaves me speechless...but as if that is ever going to happen. Not only are you Simon's best mate you are mine too. And of course Nuts & Nails, thick as thieves, but they are brothers in arms who treat Simon as one of their brothers. The effort put in to tonight has been nothing short of amazing! Thank you to the three of you for the countless man hours in sorting out our lives in the past 3 months, I am sure your boss will be glad when you get your working week back up to around the normal 15 hours you used to do. If only you listened to Simon about this quiz night being something small.

To my sister Vicky, if it wasn't for Vicky's love, persistence, attention to detail and organisation skills, I know tonight would not be what it is. She is an amazing woman who feels Marina's pain as if they are identical twins. For everything that you do, thank you, we love you. And to Peter, our brother, who firstly has put up with Vicky's attention being elsewhere, for coming in almost every day to help me with the iPhone and for also providing Marina with those crucial and very strong ouzo & cokes on the first few nights.

To my parents and brother, there aren't many people that you let see you at your worst. I think there was a few good weeks where I appeared to resemble a homeless women with a combination of bipolar and turrets! You put up with so much, provide us with immense support with our children but also put up with the quick drop offs, dinners, the bad days, and the ones to remember...the good days! Thank you so much, we love you.

To my parents and brother. You never expect something like this to happen, but it has, and as a father, I couldn't imagine seeing my child go through something like this. Thank you for all the encouragements and staying strong for me. We all love you.

To you, my husband. I would like to thank you for begging me to be your girlfriend 14years ago. Knowing how easily it could have been much worse for us, I thank god you are still here with me today.

I recall one of our bad days, and as we looked at each other in despair, I turned to you and told you that, no matter what, we will get through this. I hope you remember on that day you said that I am always right, the proof is right here right now.

We have always had the same dream for our family from the moment we met. Get married young, have kids young, get them out young and enjoy the ride before grandchildren occupy our senior years. That perfect picture hasn't changed. The only difference is that we go through this journey together as a stronger force and remember, I am always right.



Accidents like the one I had, can and do happen so easily, I still can’t believe it has happened. They can also show you how mates can come together, everyone of you are amazing and have helped in my recovery in different ways.

I would like to share a moment of mate ship when I first got to Royal Perth. I was a mess and I wasn’t coping with the thought of being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life and one of my good mates Happy came in to visit. As he left, he gave me his chain with a pendent of Saint Anthony. He tried to be tough and hide his love for a mate and left with a quick good bye. A few minutes later I rang him to find out why he gave me his chain. He said that it was his grandmothers and it represents strength and courage and it helped her. So thanks mate you’re a legend, but you already know that, because you always tell everyone that you are.

The main reason I am doing so well at my recovery is because of my beautiful wife. Marina has been a tower of strength, not only has she been worried about me and wanting to spend as much time at the hospital, but she has had to keep the household running and been both mother and father to our two girls. All this and she still gets time to write so creatively on the blog. There are no words to describe how proud and honoured I am to be her husband, she is amazing. Bottom line if you’re going to do something stupid like breaking your neck makes sure you have a wife like I have.

To have a look at the photos from the evening please click on the following link:
http://gallery.atomikarts.com/categories/perths-social-scene

21 May 2010

After expecting Simon to come home for a sleep over, he was lucky enough to get another infection, which meant that he was hooked up to a drip 3 times a day for antibiotics. This made the night stay impossible as the treatment needed to be administered at very early and very late times.

The good news out of the treatment is that the infection has cleared and therefore on Wednesday, Simon was able to have the Botox procedure on his bladder. The Botox can take up to 2 weeks to take effect, so being day 2, we are monitoring the situation.

Last Friday, for those who tuned into 6PR, they would have heard a very nervous couple of Bournes about to be interviewed by Simon Beaumont. It was an experience to say the least, and my attention was constantly on the hope that I would not snort...not on radio. I succeeded, no snort and sorry to those who were waiting for the snort.

There was also an article in the Joondalup Times this week, which Simon had a lovely photo of him taken in hospital, and it is safe to say, he doesn't look comfortable. Also in the Sunday Times there was a small article on the Quiz night in the sports section.

Simon came home on Tuesday afternoon to have dinner at home. After speaking to Alan Knell, he said that the committee for the Quiz night were getting together one last time to confirm any outstanding items. I quickly called Simon and suggested we have the Last Meeting at our house, and Simon would get a chance to see the magnitude of effort put into this event for himself. It wasn't long and everyone was notified, the meetings been changed to club Dundee.

A few beers, and listening to 6 different conversations happening over a table, it was an eye opener to see how much these people have been doing to make this event a success. The most exciting part of the meeting was when the 4 in charge of the whole event, had confirmation that they would be getting there own walkie talkie system for the quiz night.

So, the quiz night is upon us and with just over 24 hours to go, there is a lot happening behind the scenes. There are 103 tables and we are getting excited for what should be a great night.

Simon is home for the weekend so this will actually be his first sleep over at home. The girls are really looking forward to cuddling Daddy in bed on both mornings. This all means we are getting closer to having Simon home for good.

11 May 2010

In our circumstance, we find ourselves marking significant upcoming events in the diary and preparing ourselves for that time frame. The most monumental of events recently has been Simon's freedom from any head gear.

We were originally told that the Miami J neck brace would be removed on the 10th of May, however, as Simon has repeatedly proved in the past 3 months that he is a force to be reckoned with, he again successfully reduced the time frame of the neck brace and it was removed on the 4th of May. As you can see from the updated, albeit late, photo of Simon minus the neck brace...it's HAPPY DAYS !!

Once he was free, the pleasure of being able to simply have a proper shower seemed to be so huge.

Simon has mastered transferring from his chair to the car and once given the all clear, it was a matter of a smile and a nod (and a couple of phone calls) and all arrangements were made for picking up Simon on Saturday morning. In the car, the look on his face was priceless. He sat in the car, sunnies on with a grin from ear to ear. Although it didn't take him long to tell me I was taking the long way home...because some things just never change.

Simon and I spent some time alone before Macca pulled up to take him to the North Beach Football club. Whilst Simon enjoyed watching the game and catching up with current and past players, he had a chance to enjoy a couple stubbies of the liquid gold that once upon a time frequented Simon's lips on a regular basis. It was good for him to get out of the hospital and to get out on his own.

Yesterday Simon was "kicked out of the penthouse and moved to the shithouse" as he put it. He went from having a private room to sharing a room with 3 others. Good luck to them when the kids come in!

I will be the first to admit that I was completely oblivious to this world prior to 20 February, but every day you don't just learn something...you learn thousands of things. The most important in Simon's eyes is to make sure that his health stays pristine to avoid ever having to go back to Shents for a lengthy period of time. One of the guys in Simon's room has been in a wheelchair for 24 years. He recently clipped his back on the car whilst transferring, and didn't notice, then did some long distance driving and the little clip out of his back became a hole in his back and is now in Shents for 3 months until it recovers. Simon will go insane if he has to do that.

This weekend Simon gets his first sleepover pass. Just trying to imagine falling asleep next to him...and waking up next to him, it all seems surreal. It won't take long for reality to hit once the snoring kicks in. At least it will prepare me for the 22nd of May for the Quiz night and Simon's sleepover pass becomes a weekend pass.

Tune into 6PR on Friday morning, Simon will be interviewed by Simon Beaumont.

NEWSFLASH !!

The original venue for the quiz night has been changed to the Perth Convention Centre to accommodate the immense support received for this event. We now have the opportunity to sell more tables so please encourage your friends, family, colleagues and contacts to support this worthy cause!

To view the update, click on the flyer below.

1-MAY-2010

It's amazing to think about the simplistic tasks that Simon is currently undertaking, that anyone else would not even give a second thought. They are simple yet vital in his ability to become as independent as possible.

Simon has been given more and more challenges as he progresses with his rehabilitation. His Occupational therapist Joe has had Simon putting on his shoes, shorts, and learning to transfer from his chair to a car. They have a practice car at Shenton Park for the learning process. He even had Simon making ham cheese and tomato toasties. The next challenge is a lasagna. Which evidently Alexandra says is the one thing she misses about Daddy's cooking, his lasagna.

Simon has been diagnosed with an overactive bladder, which just quietly hasn't come as much of a surprise considering the overactive organ attached to that part of his anatomy, pre and post injury.

So, as a result of the overactive bladder, Simon has been on Oxybutynin which is a medication used to relieve urinary and bladder difficulties by decreasing muscle spasms of the bladder. This medication gives Simon a very dry mouth, and with the fluid restrictions of 125ml every 2 hours, it clearly isn't a medication to continue to take long term.

As they continue to monitor the activity of the bladder, there is the option of a current trial/study on Botox, which is inserted into the bladder walls to control the muscle spasms. Normally if this treatment is required, patients wouldn't receive the botox until 6 months post injury, but seeing as "Simon's bladder is the most overactive they have seen for a while" as mentioned by Jen, he will be put in earlier.

The Miami J, which is the name of the neck-chest brace, is due to come off in 9 days...but who's counting!! Once that goes, well, there's no stopping him !

Simon came home again early on Anzac Day, and it sure was more relaxed second time around. We were all geared up for the great match of Essendon v Collingwood....sorry, I'll start again. We were all geared up for the great match of Fremantle v Richmond....and if I say too much more I fear for my life.

Now that I am being trusted with Simon's safety at home, he is able to come home once a week. The girls have made a list of a million things they want to do with Daddy whilst he is home.

Before Simon was allowed home for the first time, I couldn't figure out which was harder, leaving Simon at the hospital at the end of the night, or coming home and not having him there either. Now, I have a new contender, watching him leave our home at the end of a visit...it feels like someone has ripped my heart out.

Some people say 'It will get easier', some say 'It will get harder before it gets easier'. We have learnt that easy or hard, it doesn't matter unless you have each other, because you imagine the hardest day you've had....then imagine if you didn't have each other, how much harder it would be.

Bourney shocked!

Tuesday 20-4-2010

We have hit the 8 week mark since Simon's injury and the physical progress he is making is inspiring.

During the week, I try to get to the hospital before 4pm so I can tidy his room, change the sheets and make his bed, before he returns from OT. On Monday (12th), as I was attending to feeding my need to clean, Jen from the Ward came in to advise me that Simon & I had an educational to attend prior to Simon coming home for the day on Wednesday............I must have looked like a character from Days of our lives with the confused look on my face, I said, 'Pardon...' Jen was quick to tell me that she didn't know it was a secret and that Simon would have to fill me in on the rest. With that, I proceeded with my obsession for Simon's comfort with the sheets, doing the hospital corners with a grin from ear to ear thinking about this home visit.

Simon came through the door and greeted me with the news of his day out. On Tuesday we attended an ICE (In Case of Emergency) Meeting on how to reposition Simon into his chair should he for any reason have a fall.

Tuesday night, I bravely hosted Alexandra's 6yo birthday sleep over. With the special request for a handbag cake for her party, pizza, popcorn and movies, Alexandra and Georgia and their 5 friends were all on their best behaviour. They were all spaced out in our living room, blankets, pillows, teddy's and all the lights on because of course the dark is scary and they were all passed out at 10.30.

Wednesday was to be a very monumental day, Simon was coming home for the day, and the best part was that the girls had no idea. The maxi taxi was booked for 1pm to pick Simon up from Shents. As I continued to ignore Alexandra ask me why I keep looking out the front door, I saw the taxi turn into our street...I felt like a school girl waiting for her boyfriend to come over. I snuck outside and helped get Simon to the front door, as soon as we got to it, you could see the excitement in Alexandra's face, 'What are you doing here?' and couldn't get out the door quick enough. Simon told her that he asked the doctors to let him out so he could spend her birthday with her at home and to eat the other cake mummy made, a bee hive.

It felt like a barrage of emotions. I was ecstatic to have Simon home, but knew that some parts of the house would be restricting, and I didn't know how to handle the potential frustration. The visit home affirmed the need for alternative accommodation when Simon is released from Shents.

Once through the door, a meander through the house, and he was quick to ask me to help him get onto the couch and he did his best to reclaim his groove. He was like a little kid in a lolly shop when he sat back in front of his plasma TV picked up the remote...and kissed it!! He was home. The day went well and mums and dads, sisters and brothers were asked to come after 4pm so we could have our alone time.

The taxi was booked for 7pm to pick up Simon as his curfew is at 8pm. Not long after 7, the taxi arrived...I was dreading this moment, time for Simon to go. It was extremely difficult for us. I was a blubbering mess while Simon was sending me messages of how good it was to be home, and that it was.

On Friday as Simon attended to Des and Troy in the gym, he had a special visitor, Ashley Prescott, an assistant coach from Essendon to present Simon with a signed Essendon guernsey. He was absolutely blown away by the visit which was arranged by the wonderful Nick Kirkbride. Thank you to Nick for organising that for Simon and for dealing with delayed flights, emails and phone calls galore.

Simon has 3 weeks from today until the neck-chest brace is removed, which will mean he can start other therapies that he is currently restricted from doing with the brace on.

We asked one of the Nurses Jess, to count how many tablets Simon takes in a day...at the moment 31! I couldn't believe it!!

We now look forward to the next home visit. Now we feel like we have overcome that initial shock of coming home, albeit the first of many home visits.

Bourne Family Quiz Night

Click on the image below to view larger version. Alternately, to download a pdf version of the flyer visit http://www.sdccvikings.bur.st/BourneFamilyQuizNight.pdf





Well a lot can happen in…oops almost 2 weeks. Sorry for not keeping the blog updated, it has been crazy. School holidays providing a challenge for me, nothing I cant cater to.

On Wednesday 31st, Simon was released from the bars that were imprisoning his head, and was gratefully switched over to the neck brace and matching vest. On the regular appointment of tightening the pins, they noticed that the back pins were basically on 0, and should have been on 7 pounds of torque. After a quick call to the powers that be, it was agreed that the halo was to be removed.

Now although it was a relief to hear them say that it was to be removed after we were expecting another 9 weeks of the ever invasive contraption, Simon was warned that when removing the pins, it feels like they are being tightened. He isn't allowed to be under any anesthetic whilst that procedure is taking place, as they need to see if he reacts to a potential hit of a nerve etc. Apparently the painful howling was heard by all in the ward, and there was some concern for young Simon as this took 20minutes to remove.

April fools day was a big day for us as we met with Dr John Ker for our prognosis meeting. The moment we were waiting for but also dreading in the same breath.

We were told that Simons left hand will be back to 100% and is well on its way to proving that is the case. Simon has been scored with a common tool used by all Spinal Cord Injury Experts, called ASIA scores. They have a grading of sensory and motor responses. The grading is from A - E, A being complete impairment, B being incomplete impairment of voluntary function and then cascading down in severity through to E. Simon is classified as being graded B, so is an incomplete Tetraplegic. Dr Ker looked at us in his office and mentioned a 2% chance of Simon ever regaining full motor function of his legs.

Although being positive has been somewhat our way of confronting this issue, being realistic has to come into the equation. We were told early on that this could be the prognosis and to prepare for it, however, NOTHING that anyone says or how many times you go over and over it in you head, you are never prepared. I had tears streaming down my face and Simon was cool as a cucumber. We were then shown the X-ray’s from BIMC (Bali Hospital) and the repair of the Spinal column showing us a whole pile of metal work, getting Simon closer to bionic-man status.

Now we prepare ourselves for the next part of our journey, making sure our home life will be ready for Simons release into the real world. The days/weeks/months and years ahead will be challenging to say the least, but the evident fortitude he, and we, display will continue to help overcome anything and everything.

Monday 29-3-2010

So as the world outside of Shenton Park keeps going, I have to keep going too.

I find driving to and from seeing Simon is time to myself. No matter how good or how loud a song is on the radio, it doesn't drown out my thoughts so I drive in silence. Most of the time, I get in the car at home and get to Shents, and I know I drove, but cant remember driving. Unless the girls are in the car and then it is half an hour of explaining the rules of eyespy to Georgia.

We started off last week with a bang, quite literally, with the girls and I about to park the car at Shents, without warning, the hail came crashing down. With the girls screaming bloody murder inside the car and me repeating that everything will be okay, all the while thinking a sun roof at this time is not cool ! So, after 20 minutes of wondering if it will be the hail or the high pitched screams that will break the windows, we braved the storm to run into the Ward...and then the hail stopped...

Simon has been up to a whole lot of learning in the past week. One lesson being that some of the people checking this blog, dont approve of his Dockers shorts. You will be happy to know that, based on medical advice only, he had to give them the heave-ho (insert laugh here) as he was sliding in his chair when trying to sit up and they were cramping his style. He has learnt a few special techniques like putting on his shorts and shoes and different sitting techniques.

On Thursday, Simon was offered to be tested to check if he was suitable for a research trial for FES (Functional Electric Stimulation). It was an experience to say the least, watching Simon react to the electric shock basically...lets say disturbingly entertaining, for everyone else. I have posted a few of the photos from that test, and see if you can make out what Simon is trying to say.

After a plethira of visitors on Saturday morning (there were 12 people in Simons room at one stage) we enjoyed a quiet afternoon together. Then Sunday we had more visitors and Simon got out and about in his wheelchair in the sun, you could see he was enjoying the change of scenery. Although Georgia was testing my patience, she was exhausted from sleepovers and in that tired little voice, kept saying, 'I'm tired and I wanna go hooommmmmmeeeeee'. She is still catching up on her zzz's.

Simon has pins that go through the halo and into the side of the head. He has four, two at the front and two at the back of his head. There is a white tip much like a golf tee, this is screwed into the head and is tightened every Tuesday to 7mm from the skins surface to grip to the skull. They had to replace one of the pins, as the resistance from the skull and the tightening, caused the pin to bow.

So another week of hard work, determination, and less chocolates and Simon will be able to cross out the calander.

Saturday 20-3-2010

One month on...still can't believe it!

Some say it feels like alot longer, some say is that all...I feel like it has added 10 years to my very youthful life. Either way, it has been one month since the accident in Bali, and we marked this day with Hungry Jacks and alot of lollies.

The house feels just like that...a house. It is always so quiet. It is merely a drop off and pick up point for clothes, lunches and the odd sleep. It won't feel like a home again until Simon gets there. The oven and stove haven't been used for so long, I am hoping my culinary expertise don't dwindle away.

Off to school one morning and who do we see at the front door taking in the view of our lawns and gardens, Crossy from Mt Lawley Golf Course. He asked me what needed to be done and I didn't know what to say other than, 'Can you make my lawn green?'. Those who know Cottesloe Golf Course know that Simon takes the utmost pride in each blade of grass that sits on each hill on each tee, but when it comes to the lawn at home...lets just say it looks more like the new "BROWN" lawn you can get at any bad turf supplier. With that being said, another couple of car loads of the boys from Mt Lawley and the appropriate tools, and the work started. It looks magic lads, thank you.

The girls have gradually been given more time in Shenton Park to spend with Daddy and were quick this morning to rush in and give Daddy the updates on their lives. Georgia was all about toddler hip hop (Toddlerbop) and Alexandra completed 2 stages at school swimming. They even kicked Mummy out to have some alone time. Whilst my wifely duties are well under way, the girls are often being taken care of by both of our mums and the beautiful mums from school, Richelle, Trin, Ruth, Cath and loads of others helping out, thank you ladies.

The Docs mentioned that the Halo-Jacket contraption should come off in around 8 weeks, depending on the progress of the stabilisation. At least that gives him a timeline to work towards.

Simon is finding the smaller pleasures of day time television, watching The Morning Show, Ellen, Judge Judy, and even a little Question Time in parliament.

Today Simon asked me to bring him a coffee and the paper, and I was thinking that was a good sign, then noticed he has made use of the Laptop and his TAB card and wanted the form guide to help in his "rehabilitation". Thanks Garry from Dickies and Norro from Cott for the tips. Ended up $14.00 down.

Simon has made a friend in Joe the OT man, and was quick to ask him about his first release into the real world. Looking at arranging his first day out, night out, then weekend out. He might have to get the snoring under control before he is allowed to come home.

So another week of Physio and OT lies ahead and Simon will be taking it on with all he has. With that being said, he works so hard that by the time his girls get to see him at the end of the day, he is grumpy and just wants to rest. We are looking forward to Simon getting used to the chair and building up his strength to become more mobile.

Thank you for all the posts on this blog, Simon loves it!

Thursday 18-03-2010

One week today in Shenton Park, and slowly getting into a routine.

First things first…the food is a great deal better than RPH, which Simon is very happy about.

One item we found problematic was Simon is now on fluid restrictions. This is for monitoring his input and output, to put it nicely. So he is only allowed to drink 125ml every 2 hourS and even though he is only allowed water, we all know he drinks more than that!

Simon started the rehabilitation process on Monday morning with Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. You should see him lifting weights, soon we will call his arms Des & Troy, together they Destroy…sorry, had to put that one in there!

On Tuesday mornings, all the surgeons and heads of departments come together to discuss each person in Shenton Park. This is to follow up on their progress and to adjust any current treatment. So Simon is keen to find out progress reports from the doctors. The sooner that halo and jacket contraption get the heave ho, the better!

The halo is actually for tracking, the pins that are ever so gently tightened into his forehead and the back of his head, track the movement of the pins with the scaring they leave. I would put a close up on the pictures, but, lets be honest, its not pretty. They had to replace one of the back pins yesterday as it was bending, that explains the pressure being put on by these pins.

Simons’ day consists of getting ready for Physio from 10.00am to 12.00pm, a break for lunch, then 2pm to 4pm, Occ Therapy. By the time he gets in and out of chairs and has a look at his guns in the mirror, he has dinner, lets me fuss around him, then starts to nod off.

He has even asked if he can get into the gym on the weekends. I am sure that will change once the footy starts.

Thursday 11-03-2010

Wooo hooo !! 19 days in and we have made it to Shenton Park =)

Just before 9am, the girls and I were on the phone to Simon, doing our normal ritual of calling to say good morning, which has been happening since the girls were born.
As we spoke, they interrupted Simon to tell him he is going to Shents at 10am...then he relayed the information to me. I must have sounded so excited and repeated 'Shenton Park' to Simon on the phone to clarify the good news. Alexandra and her big ears took this information in that large brain of hers, ran straight to all my Mum friends at school and to her teacher with jubilation 'Daddy is going to Shenton Park today'. Bless!

So after being told yesterday that we could be waiting for around 2 weeks to get into Shents, you can imagine the surprise when we got told this morning. I must take this opportunity to thank Melissa Thomson (my other sister) for knowing people in high places, making phone calls, sending emails and keeping me in the loop. If it weren't for Melissa, I dare say we would still be at RPH.

On that note, thank you to all the staff at RPH, Leonie, Michelle, Holly, Dani, Sam, Tracey, Leroy and many many others, that helped Simon as he recovered from surgery.

So here we are, Simon is in his room with a view, which he can see when sitting up.
He has kept his wits about him and given the nurses here abit of curry already, you wouldn't expect anything less.

They have told him that every Tuesday is slack arse Tuesday and Wednesday is no whinge day. He will have Saturdays and Sundays to himself, although I am sure he will never be left alone with all the friends and family keen to visit. Visiting hours on the weekend are 8am till 8pm and he is in Ward 11, the spinal unit. If you can work out where you need to go once you pull in to Shenton Park, please visit.

Simon will start his progam on Monday, so he has a long weekend, which just adds to the last 18 days. If anyone was thinking of visiting tomorrow, please text or call my mobile so we know to expect you.

Once a month he has a long weekend as the only staff working on that Friday are nurses. The PCA's, OT's, Physio's etc have that one Friday off every month.

So once the rehab starts, he will start to get tired by the time visiting hours kick in at 5pm, and that time is already blocked out for his three girls.

They have a BBQ here, a big kitchen, toys for the kids, DVD's and loads of space to entertain and catch up. We will be using that BBQ every weekend !!

We are looking forward to the next phase of rehabilitation and Simon's and my determination will make the most of the time we have here.

Wednesday 10-03-2010

As you can see, I am becoming quite the little techxpert putting photos on the blog.

Simon has basically recovered from his surgery. They put the halo vest on him on Monday and he is slowly getting used to it. There is a wool underlay in it for padding.

After 17 days of lying flat on his back, yesterday the nurses arranged for Simon to have a go in his wheelchair. They mentioned that the first time, you will feel nauseas and they can generally only leave you in the seat for 5 minutes. We got to see how the hammock gets strategically placed under him and the hoist machine hooks in so as to lift him off the bed and lower him into the chair.

It was great to see him sit up, however, he did start to feel nauseas and they tilt the chair back so he can get his vertigo under control. The stomach muscles are not working so it was hard for Simon to sit up without relying on them. He did sit for 5 minutes and take it all in, then was hoisted back into bed. From then on, they have had him sitting up as often as possible.

This morning Simon got to have another try of the wheelchair, with the ambition for 15 minutes, he had to do better than that, and went for 25 minutes. We got to go out on the balcony on the ward and smell the fresh air, feel the wind, see the sky, hear the honking of the horns...and sit alone together.

Now that Simon has recovered from the surgery, he needs to get his rehabilitation started. Shenton Park being full is clearly delaying that process. We hope they at least arrange for some form of rehabilitation to start at RPH. We are waiting to hear about that. Simon has had enough of the hospital and wants to get going with the rehab. He is doing all of his exercises twice more than needed.

We now look forward to taking Simon out for longer tomorrow, and more frequently over the next week to build him up to getting used to it.

Alexandra and Georgia went in tonight to see Daddy and spend some time with him. Georgia showed Daddy her hip hop moves, and Alexandra sang him a song. Got to give him kissy wissy and huggle buggle before saying goodnight.

Keep the messages coming through, Simon is amazed at all the people having a read and leaving messages.

Friday 5-03-2010

It still all seems unbelievable.
The whole freak accident, the dramas of being in Bali, explaining to the girls what is going on, seeing your husband look at you with the biggest eyes, just as shocked as I, wondering what the hell is happening?
I sometimes think, lucky this happened while the girls are young, sure it is hard explaining these things to a 5 and 3 year old, but maybe it is easier as the story being told is of honesty, however painted with a brush of positivity.
Any older and the inquisitive minds may need more than just the story of when Jack fell down and broke his crown.

It has been hard watching Simon need assistance in the small things that you never really would have thought about. You can see he just wants to do it all for himself, which I am making sure they encourage that behaviour. I was told to brush Simon's teeth for him....I was quick to say he can do it himself. Maybe that's abit of habit in their as well as encouragement.

They will be putting the 'jacket' on Simon which attaches to the halo so he stays aligned whilst in rehab. This is supposed to be going on him on Monday. It gets fitted to him, and then they take him for an X-ray to make sure it is all aligned before leaving it in place, it looks like being on for 2-3 months, 24 hours a day !! It looks uncomfortable, but in the scheme of things probably more comfortable than he has been to date.

Simon is still in RPH and will be here at least until Tuesday. We are waiting for Simon to be deported to Shenton Park, and I went yestersday to have a look around. There are 35 beds in Shenton Park's Spinal Unit, and they have 38 people there already...I wish there was something I could do to encourage Simons transfer.

So at Shenton Park, I sat in my car...in total silence, and I couldnt believe I was at the front of the Spinal Unit. With Simon still lying in the hospital I wanted to see for myself what it was all about. Driving into the large multitude of different buildings, some for educational/training and some for rehabilitation.
I found myself in awe of what I saw. It isnt about how pretty it is or how new it is, it's about what the do there. I believe Simon will also see what I see in time. The positive energy is great just as you walk around, its going to be very hard, but so beneficial to us both.

Tonight is the Floreat Athena Soccer Club Fundraiser and Simon is not happy that he cant be there, but grateful that this is event is even happening.

To all the people involved with the Fundraising of this event, thank you for the donations, the volunteer work, the organisation and for so much more, thank you.

Monday 1-03-2010

10 Days on and we are basically recovering from his surgery.

After days of listening to Simon asking every nurse when they go on their tea break.."oh, what are you going to eat?" He has advanced from a liquid diet to eating solids. We have quickly learned that the local makes a mean parmigana, which was top of the list of Simons requests after the cardboard meals they have at the hospital.

Simon was on Fentanyl (pain killer) immediately post op with a limit of every 5min intervals, and had been on it for 7 days before having it taken away. They replaced it with a Fentanyl patch, were he is still getting the pain killer, although it is slow release and he has no button to push. He is also taking a number of tablets which is a concoction of pregabalin, panadol, Tramadol, brown ones, and the little yellow ones that help his nerve pain relief.

He has his Physio in the mornings, and still having breathing tests, they are still forcing him to cough, which is them compressing on his stomach with force as he coughs.

He now has big elastic bands to start building up the strength in his arms which he is doing 3 times a day. They are getting things prepared for his move to Shenton Park, like the jacket which will be attached to the halo. We were told that he should be at Shenton Park by Thursday next week.

Brad was able to go to Shenton Park for us and take some photos and get some information. The time table looks like a boot camp, but we are looking forward to it all the same. It is the next part of the process as far as we are concerned, we get there and we get through it, as long as it takes.

He has been told things in the past couple of days that would scare the bravest of men.

Alexandra and Georgia are sad and wanting their Daddy to come home so they can look after him. So we are concerntrating on getting him home as soon as they give us the go ahead.

Thank you for the words of support and thank you to those who have been there already in so many different ways.

Friday 26-02-2010

Thank you for all the messages of love. Simon is reading them and appreciates the support. We arranged an iPhone for him to occupy himself and to be able to see the feed come through on this blog.

Today, we have alot going on. We have Dr Kerr coming to see Simon as a personal favour as well as his capacity as a Dr at Shenton Park. Hopefully we get some answers in relation to different forms of rehabilitation that have been mentioned, from hyperbaric chambers, accupuncture, stem cells etc. As well as discussing the millions of questions we have on Shenton Park.

There have been a number of fundraisers being organised. Below is the information in relation to the first fundraiser being held next friday.

Again, the support has been amazing, just lost for words, thank you. It goes to show how many people Simon, firstly knows, but how many stick around. It is a testament to himself. He says you all stick around because of my food =)

Simon was saying he is worried about me, and I am worried about him, so that shows you the strong heart that he has.

Thank you
Marina

The information in relation to the Athena Soccer Club Fundraiser:

In the past 3 weeks tragedy has struck 2 Perth Family’s. Chris Earley and Simon Bourne have both suffered severe injuries from separate accidents & FAFC is presenting a fundraiser to help with their recovery and support their young families.

Date: Friday, March 5, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 11:55pm
Location: Floreat Athena FC - 41 Britannia Rd Mount Hawthorn

Soccer Under Lights from 7pm
Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, Aek & Paek Local representatives fight it out for the Earley/Bourne Greek Cup. Don’t miss the final at 830pm

930pm – DJ Mihali with RNB, Greek and More

Entry Fee – Donation
Food & Drinks available for purchase

For raffle donations, pledges, team participation or other info email perthfamilyhelp@gmail.com

All Entry, Food, Raffle & Bar profits will assist the Earley/Bourne families

Raffle/Auction Pledges so far - thank you

Eaton Industries (George Terzanidis) - 2 UPS's and 2 Power board
Safire Natural Skincare (Eleni Cardaci) - Pamper pack with spa products and other goodies
John Novatsis - $500 for food produce
George Levissianos, Lil's Retravision Karratha - 50" HD Plasma TV
Andrew & Simon, Synnex, 2 x 19" LCD HD TV with IPOD DOC
Superstars and Legends (Adam) - Memorobilia items
Andrew Hawes Art - Painting
DJ Mihali - DJ Services
ATI Martial Arts (Adin Livnjak) - 1 Term of Martial Arts Training for 3year old onwards
Solid Gold Jewllers (Dannielle De Pellegrin) - 18ct yellow gold hand crafted pave set diamond cross pendant & matching 18ct yellow gold chain

My man

As you are aware Simon is currently in Royal Perth Hospital, the doctors are monitoring him to ensure he is as comfortable as can be.

He has shattered his C7 and T1 vertabrae and has had two surgerys to reposition his vertabrae with screws, bolts etc as best as they can to try and give the spinal cord a steady environment for rehab.

His spinal cord has been badly damaged. It has been stretched and dislocated and he has no feeling from his chest down.

They are working on his breathing exercises and some arm exercises for him to strenghten his muscles for the next step, rehab for mobility.

The doctors are predicting Simon will move to Shenton Park mid next week to commence his 6 month minimum rehabilitiation. We are still dealing with all the facts and as it is still early stages Simon has requested NO VISITORS AT THE MOMENT. He has alot of pain killers pumping through his system at the moment and sleeping/snoring his way through the days.

The amount of phone calls, emails, texts and visits has been amazing to say the very least. There are so many people to thank for getting "behind the scenes" and organising every facet of our lives to ensure our attention is primarily on Simon's care.

We are all overwhelmed at your support and well wishes, and many of you are trying to come to terms with this tragic accident, as are we. You always know someone that this happens to, but never in our wildest nightmares did we think it would hit our family.

Simon certainly has his wits about him and is 'utilising' the nurse role I have taken on...