My name is Mahendra and I am 40 years old. I migrated from India in 2014. I suffered from an ABI (Stroke) due to Miliary Tuberculosis in 2015, after living in Australia for one and a half years.
Before the ABI, I lived with my wife and young daughter and worked as a bus driver on the Northern link.
I moved to CLO Peterson site in May 2017 after being hospitalised for over one year at Flinders Hospital. I can’t recall anything from Flinders Hospital as I spent many months in the intensive care ward.
Initially, I had to get my food and medication via a tube into my stomach. I was fully dependent on staff for daily living activities and I had to use a walking frame for walking for limited distance. Now, after three inpatient Rehab courses and ongoing outpatient therapy sessions with BISA and with the help of BIRCH, CLO staff and other health professionals, I have improved my physical and cognitive abilities and I can do most things with minimal assistance or independently. I can walk with a stick outside in the community and without any mobility aids at home, I can cook my own meals, I can play games on my laptop and I have set up a tennis table in my kitchen where I challenge staff to compete with me. I am very proud of my achievements.
Currently, I am doing a Certificate III in Record Keeping online through Alffie. Maxima helped me to get into this course and they will help me to find jobs after completing this course. After completing this course, I am hoping to apply for a job with Australia Post.
I am also currently in the process of getting my driver’s licence back. Being able to drive a car again is one of my biggest dreams as it would give me more independence and maybe open up more job opportunities in the future.
I would like to continue participating in games like 10 pin bowling and table tennis to improve my physical ability, and to encourage my daughter to participate in games, especially in tennis, as I would like to see her playing tennis in future.
