The New Zealand Herald

Long haul back from the brink

Car crash victim recovers from traumatic brain injury — and earns A- in uni exam

- — Otago Daily Times

When Hannah Scott lay in Dunedin’s intensive care unit in a coma in 2009, doctors told her parents to be realistic about her chances. Her injuries included a broken neck, fractured skull and pelvis, and a traumatic brain injury.

Her mother Marnie said she had a “pretty bleak prognosis”.

Six years later Hannah has recently passed a University of Otago French paper with an A-, can walk short distances and is starting to regain her independen­ce.

She even gave a somewhat cheeky speech when her father Wayne retired last month from his role as corporate services director at the Otago Regional Council.

But the journey that began with a call from Gore police has been a slow one, and still has a way to go.

Hannah, 26, said she was driving to Gore alone when her car crash occurred, though she has no memory of what happened.

Mr Scott said he was in Japan when the call came through. “I tried to get home as quick as I could.”

Mrs Scott said, “It was grim . . . It was that cliche, the parents’ worst nightmare, but you actually live that cliche. You go through every emotion possible.”

Hannah’s recovery was slow. She was in hospital from the time of the July crash until September, when she was moved to Wakari Hospital for rehabilita­tion.

At that time, though, she was classified as being in a coma and was unable to talk, eat or move. A multidisci­plinary team with a physiother­apist, speech language therapist and clinical psychologi­st set to work, an approach Mrs Scott said “we experience­d in the best possible way”.

Slowly — very slowly — recovery was achieved. “The magic moments in our lives were her eyes opening, or you might feel her squeeze your hand,” Mrs Scott said. “That gave us so much hope and encouragem­ent.’’

Hannah’s first words came six months after the crash, a “croaky, muffled ‘Hi Mum’” on the telephone. But there were no miracles. “It’s not like the movies, you don’t just suddenly start talking, you don’t stand up and think, ‘Oh yes, I can take a step now.’” Hannah’s challenges included relearning how to swallow.

She did not return home until July 2010. In the past six years she has gone from wheelchair­s and walking frames to walking short distances.

This year, with the help of the lawyer Jane Guthrie, the older sister of one of Hannah’s friends, she has been able to return to the University of Otago, where she was a secondyear student at the time of the crash.

Ms Guthrie suggested the idea after coming to the conclusion Hannah had the ability to return to university, and was allowed time off from her job as a lawyer at Dunedin firm Wilkinson Rodgers to be her support person in class.

Back in Motion neuro-physiother­apist Bronagh Quinn, who has worked with Hannah for the past three years, said she was “definitely motivated when she has a goal”.

But her “major, major achievemen­ts” were a result of her parents’ encouragem­ent.

 ?? Picture / Otago Daily Times ?? Hannah Scott’s intensive physiother­apy sessions in the six years since her car crash mean she can now walk short distances.
Picture / Otago Daily Times Hannah Scott’s intensive physiother­apy sessions in the six years since her car crash mean she can now walk short distances.

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