Angela Barker was an active 17 year-old when her life changed in a split-second, and she and her family were confronted with the idea of Anj living in a nursing home for the rest of her life. Anj warns us all this could happen to any young person; this could happen to you, to your sister, or to your daughter.

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Jason grew up in Melbourne's east, and describes his family as 'unremarkable.' His Dad worked for the Roads Corporation and his Mum stayed at home and did other peoples laundry for a bit of extra cash, while Jason's passion for the Monaro played out in backyard suburbia.

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With the world at her feet, Michelle Newland had just completed the first year of her primary teaching degree, finishing in the top 10% of students, when just three days after her 19th Birthday she suffered a near-fatal asthma attack which resulted in a severe brain injury.

The prompt response of her parents (Ann and Vic Newland) and the skill of the emergency medical team saw Michelle revived at hospital - her brain had been deprived of oxygen for 10 minutes.

Michelle remained in intensive care for 10 days, and her family were told to expect that Michelle would remain in a vegetative state for the remainder of her life. With her trademark humour and grace, Michelle responds to this by asking "Do I look like a carrot to you?"

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After reaching national junior top 10 ranking, Grayden played in the Australian Open Junior Tennis championships in 1999 and won a tennis scholarship to the USA, where he studied Business Management. Ten months after graduation, in October 2004 Grayden was seriously injured in a skateboarding accident. His parents were told that he would remain in a vegetative state for life, and that the only option was for Grayden to be admitted to a nursing home. Through the dedication of his parents and support team to a rehabilitation program, Grayden can now walk, talk and do many every-day things by himself. He has been in and out of nursing homes since his accident, and is at risk again of entering residential aged care if a more suitable accommodation place is not found.

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