Jade McAlear was a recent graduate when she was in a major car accident in 2022, suffering multiple fractures and falling into a coma for four months.

Now 25, he lives with an acquired brain injury (ABI).

Warning: This story contains graphic images

Following the accident, doctors told her parents Karen and Zac that it was unlikely Jade, a Wurundjeri woman, would ever walk again.

But last year, with the help of her sisters Tyla and Shai, Jade walked across the stage to accept her university degree in occupational therapy.

Now she is determined to walk unaided again.

These are her words.

We went from supplier to consumer

On April 19, 2022, I was working as an occupational therapist and was between clients when I had my car accident. It was a very bad day, wet and rainy, and I turned into oncoming traffic.

I was boned by another car that hit me in an embankment. The guy in the other car lifted my neck so I could breathe. If he hadn’t done that, I would have died.

It took an hour to get me out of the car and then I was taken to intensive care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

For four months, I was in a coma. They didn’t know if I would ever wake up. I smashed my head and fractured my pelvis, spine and ankle.

My brain was spinning in my skull, severing some of the connections at the base of my neck.

I have no memory of the accident or the time I spent in the hospital after it. I think it’s harder for my family because they remember everything. To me everything is just a blur.

I’m just happy to be here, I’m happy to be alive. But I’m glad I don’t remember.

I’m not a damn child

A big message I want to get out there is talk to me like a human. I have the ability to understand you.

It’s amazing how many people I’ve met who have no idea about my injury, who assume I can’t communicate. They just see the wheelchair.

A lot of people talk to me like I’m a kid, I’m not a freaking kid. Don’t talk bad to me, I hate it.

When I was in the airport, a lady came up to me and spoke very slowly and I corrected her. I said “you can talk to me normally”.

Before the accident, if I was in a room and something made me want to leave, I would get up and leave. I can’t do that anymore, so sometimes if doctors make decisions for me, I get really frustrated.

Another thing that really annoys me is when everyone assumes that I should only spend time with other people who have a brain injury. Why should I sit in a room full of people in wheelchairs, simply because I’m in a wheelchair?

My speech was the hardest. I had to take a breath in the middle of a sentence. I was once at a loud party and no one heard me, so I screamed.

After that, my speech actually improved and I no longer take a breath in the middle of a sentence. It feels pretty good.

Rehab is my full time job

Just five months before the accident, I completed my degree at ACU (Australian Catholic University). Now, rehab is my full time job.

I have an analogy that I use to explain to people how my brain works: before, A+B=C, but now it’s more like A+K+W=C.

On average, I have 22 therapy sessions per week, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and hydrotherapy.

Clinicians often tell me to rest. I was in a coma for four months – I rested.

It’s like the ABI model of care is misconfigured. I don’t want to sleep all the time. I want to work very hard to walk again.

This is my life and this is what I have to do.

But I feel like I can’t be rude and tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, so I wait until I get home to cut loose.

It’s been two and a half years since my brain injury and I’m stronger. I am closer to achieving my goals.

I walked with the help of one person, I return to art and traveled by plane.

Every Saturday morning I go to parkrun with one of my carers. We do 5 km (in my wheelchair) and if my mom is with us, she helps me cross the finish line.

I am determined to cross the finish line unaided one day.

Coffee lover and sudoku expert

To reduce muscle spasticity, I get botox in my arms every three months. I like to tell people that even though I have the most botox in my family, I don’t have any in my face.

If anything, I think having this injury has made my humor a lot better. I wasn’t as funny before, but now I’m hysterical.

I like to keep my brain active, so I often do sudoku. I’m expert level and it only takes me 10 minutes to make one.

Drinking coffee – a cappuccino – is another thing I like to do. At first, I had to drink through a straw, so I couldn’t have a cappuccino because it was too foamy. But now I can drink them again.

The first time I was able to go back to the beach I was in my element. I felt so good. I was surrounded by all the things I love.

And last year, ACU organized a special graduation ceremony for me. I was in a coma when my classmates graduated, but my family left.

With my two sisters helping me, I ended up going and getting my License in Occupational Therapy. It was a big deal for me and such a special day. I will never forget it, it was so incredible and I couldn’t stop smiling.

The main goal now? pub

Dad and I made a deal – I can’t go to the bar with my mates until I can go and order a drink.

For my girlfriend’s 18th birthday, I bought her an espresso martini and now she wants to get me one.

I really enjoy going out with my friends, but it can be hard when they’re all drinking and I can’t. I always have to leave early and I can’t stay up late going to pubs and clubs like I used to — it’s a bit tricky, I have to find other things to do.

It’s frustrating when some friends post pictures of going out and don’t include me anymore. Why couldn’t I be there? I wasn’t supposed to drink.

However, I also have friends who go out of their way to make sure I’m involved or spend time with me. I love that and would be lost without them.

Some of my other goals are to travel. I want to visit Italy, China, Africa and Hungary.

I would like to go back to work as an OT again in some capacity and educate people about life with brain injury. I have a lot of lived experience and life to offer.

I also started working part-time with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization (VACCHO) which is so great.

And an end goal I’m working towards? Being able to raise my middle finger. It is a term of endearment.

Full of passion and fire

I am a strong and proud Wurundjeri woman. I signed the Yes vote with my Aboriginal Advancement League mob.

For me, family and friends are everything. They are what fuel me to keep going. They keep the fire in me burning strong.

Recovery has been tough, but I am strong and surrounded by so many supportive people. My mom, sister, and ex-boyfriend all dreamed of me walking, so I know it’s going to happen.

If I could give a message to other people in a wheelchair, it would be to make your own decisions and be your own person.

I know my future will be good. Although this is very hard and I don’t know where it will end. I feel so loved because I have a wonderful family. I’m still holding on.

The ABC is partnering with International Disability Day to recognize the contributions and achievements of the 5.5 million Australians with disabilities.