Maria Venuti Still living large after her stroke
Maria Venuti’s daughter tells Not even a stroke can keep this showbiz s legend down writes PHILLIP KOCH
Maria’s daughter Bianca VenutiHughes laughs as she recalls the look on the doctor’s face when she asked whether her famous mum could have just one glass of bubbles on New Year’s Eve.
“They do all say she’s the most glamorous person they’ve ever had in the hospital,” she says.
“But the answer was definitely no when I asked if she could have a little glass of Dom Perignon. Her medical stability comes first, and they say it’s going to be really slow progress. We have a long way to go, but she is very strong willed and determined.”
Just 11 weeks ago, Maria, 75, suffered a stroke after she was confronted by a stalker carrying flowers at the front door of her Sydney home. Afterwards, she spent five weeks in the intensive care unit of the Royal North Shore Hospital.
“Initially, one of the nurses told me it was catastrophic – ‘one of the biggest bleeds I have ever seen’ – and it was extremely challenging for me when doctors questioned me about what Mum would want in the circumstances,” Bianca explains.
“I told them she would want the very best people in Australia doing absolutely everything they can to ensure she survives, and that her quality of life is the best it possibly can be. There was no way we were going to give up on Mum then, and we’re not going to give up now.”
Maria has astounded doctors with her progress, even recently being allowed briefly out of the rehabilitation hospital where she is slowly recovering, for cake to celebrate Bianca’s 37th birthday, surrounded by her friends and loved ones.
“Best birthday ever!!! And the best birthday present I could ever ask for was indeed delivered,” Bianca captioned a photo of Maria in a wheelchair – wearing one of her trademark colourful kaftans – at the small gathering.
With a big smile plastered on her face, Maria looked incredible given her ordeal. So good, in fact, Bianca says many devoted friends and fans from around the world celebrated her “recovery”.
“I think the photos were too good,” explains Bianca, who says Maria is still in the acute stage and has a long and difficult recovery ahead of her, despite her “indomitable spirit”. She admits there have been times in the past weeks when she feared the worst.
“There have been lots of ups and downs along the way. Mum is generally heading in the right direction but there have definitely been setbacks, particularly in the beginning,” reveals Bianca. “We’ve stayed positive and the doctors, nurses and specialists have all been amazing. I now truly believe she will get through this.”
Bianca has rarely left her mum’s side since the stroke, encouraging her recovery at each step, and rewarding Maria with gold stars to mark her big and small achievements – including leaving ICU, moving to rehab, eating soft food, removing her feeding and breathing tubes, and that wonderful home visit for Bianca’s birthday. At last count she had 38 gold stars in her hospital room.
“Her personality is still there,” promises Bianca, who says Maria brightened up when she swapped her “boring” white hospital gown for a colourful Camilla kaftan, and is now learning how to apply makeup from an occupational therapist. “We just have to work with her and what she loves,” adds Bianca.
She says Maria wasn’t a big fan of the iced water from the speech pathologist, so Bianca swapped it for Sicilian lemon granita, which Maria loves, and tried to motivate her to swallow with the incentive of tasting a morsel of traditional ham and turkey for Christmas.
“We’re working up to doing lunch at one of Mum’s favourite restaurants,” Bianca says. “She’s becoming more aware and she very much wants to look fabulous. We just have a little way to go before we can have that lunch!”