Meg's story

In 2019, Meg had just moved into a flat with her partner, Xander, after graduating from film school. She was excited about starting a new career as a filmmaker and had recently returned from a family holiday in America, feeling optimistic about the future.

A few days later, Meg began feeling unwell and took the afternoon off work to rest. After having dinner with Xander, she was lying on the bed texting friends when, at just 26 years old, she suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

Thankfully, Xander was there and immediately began CPR while the emergency services were called. However, the paramedics were delayed in reaching the flat due to difficulties finding the address, and there were issues with accessing defibrillators. At the time, it wasn’t clear exactly what had gone wrong with Meg’s emergency treatment.

Meg doesn’t remember initially waking up in hospital, and when she finally did, she couldn’t understand why she was there. As a result of the delays in her emergency care, she had suffered a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen during her cardiac arrest. The injury has left Meg using a wheelchair full time, affected her speech, and resulted in chronic fatigue.

“I think one of the toughest moments for me in the hospital was realising my life was never going to be the same again,” Meg said, reflecting on the moment she understood the full impact of her injury.

It soon became clear to Meg and her family that something had gone seriously wrong. Her mother, Lorraine, contacted Irwin Mitchell to ask for help investigating what had happened.

As a result of the investigation and legal support, Meg was able to access the specialist rehabilitation she needed to begin rebuilding her life.

Returning to work was particularly important to Meg, but for a time her injury made this impossible. Gradually returning to work on a part time basis proved to be a significant milestone, helping her regain confidence and a sense of purpose.

“I’ve seen a huge change in Meg since I first met her six years ago,” Leena said. 

“Thanks to the rehabilitation support in place, she’s made incredible progress.”

Through interim payments secured as part of the claim, Meg was able to fund a tailored package of rehabilitation support, including speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These professionals worked closely with Meg to identify her needs and help maximise her recovery. The financial support was carefully calculated to meet Meg’s long term rehabilitation requirements, rather than acting as a short-term fix.

Meg’s progress since accessing this support has been remarkable. She can now stand for up to an hour, her speech and cognitive abilities have significantly improved, and she has returned to working as a filmmaker, a career she once feared she'd lost forever.

“A big turning point for me was receiving an interim payment to fund rehabilitation,” Meg said. 

“It made such a difference. I can now self-propel my wheelchair independently, whereas before I relied on a powered chair.

“Before my injury, I could travel the world and visit friends. I know I’ll never have that same level of independence again, but I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.”