About Me

Life Before and After a Spinal Cord Injury

My name is Shane Agnew and I became a ventilated quadriplegic after a dirt bike accident . It happened seven days after my 20th birthday. Although I can’t move my arms and legs or breathe independently I have never lost my positive outlook on life, ask anyone that knows me.
I always think it could have been worse. I could be brain damaged, still, be in a coma or I could have even died so I consider myself lucky in that respect.

Before my accident, life was great, After school i’d get home have a cup-a-soup with six slices of bread n butter, then grab my skateboard and i was out door of to normally to clappy’s or nate’s back then we would look for where all our mates bikes were to find out where everyone was congregated before we’d all head to our little skate park where we would spend most of the afternoon, we’d then go to one of our houses to chill, well it was normally the local primary school where we would spend the last hour of light  

I graduated from school full of excitement and adventure. I was an active guy, always on the move. 

 I loved going to the beach, riding my motorbike, and getting into harmless trouble with my mates. One of my biggest passions was music. I wasn’t the best guitar player, but that didn’t stop me from jamming out. Whether it was the drums, bass, or any instrument I could find, I loved making music—or as some would say, just making noise.

I got a traineeship where I learned on the job and was in the classroom once a week where we gained different skills to add to our resume.I did painting for my first rotation,  spending my days spray painting large structural beams, turns out I wasn’t the best painter, but just good enough to pass inspection before being sent to well I was never sure where they were going the beams were put on a truck and disappeared as the next truck load of beams appeared at the other end of the shed!

I finally got moved from the painting shed, down the road where I was subcontracting to a huge corporation. There I started sandblasting inside huge round tanks so the next company could come through and inspect the welds before the tanks could be put back in the production line.

I eventually moved to the scaffolding area of the company, this is what i enjoyed the most as we all used to get stuck in and because we were in teams there was no where or time to go for a walk and take a 10 minute smoke break, once the job started it was go, go, go until the job was finished and  there was a great sense of accomplishment once it was all done. Doing “dropies” was my favorite, sliding down a 6 foot pole with a forty five meter drop below you, then building a platform which you then used to get on and climb out via the ladder you just put up. It was physically demanding though it suited me better working in a team, as I couldn’t slack off. The hard work didn’t bother me because we had such a good time on the job. The non-stop work and the shit talking made the days go by quickly.

For the first four weeks in Fremantle, I was unconscious whilst my parents and friends waited to see if I would survive. Would I die, would I be brain damaged or would I wake up ok. Slowly I started to wake, answering questions with my eyebrows than my eyelids and eventually being able to mouth words.

Doctors were amazed as nobody has ever survived a spinal cord injury this high (between C1 and the skull . It was all thanks to the person and the life-saving actions that he took at the scene of the accident. I have him to thank for my life.

I spent a total of two and a half years in the hospital. Seven weeks in Fremantle Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a very critical condition. Another seven weeks in Royal Perth Hospital ICU undergoing surgery to re-attach my skull to my spine. Finally, two years in Royal Perth Shenton Park Rehabilitation Campus waiting for the Ventilator Dependent Quadriplegic Program (VDQP) to be set up and finalized. This program would fund staff, equipment, and modifications to my house enabling me to live at home.

When I was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital ICU it was intimidating for me as Fremantle had become my comfort zone and I felt safe there. Anyway, the move was on because I needed the operation to stabilize my head to my spine. 

My operation was booked for the day after I arrived. The operation was going to be delayed until the Leading doctor intervened and the operation went ahead on the scheduled date.

Even after the accident, I strive to live life to the fullest. While I don’t go out as much as I used to, when I do, I make it count—whether it’s going to the movies, concerts, parties, restaurants, or pubs. I used to spend most of my money on drinks at the pub, but these days I prefer to invest in experiences like concerts and dinners.

Though some of my old friends have drifted away, I’ve made many new ones, including other quadriplegics, paraplegics, and the amazing nurses and carers I’ve met along the way. Life has a way of bringing the right people into your world. One of my mates, who is also a quadriplegic, said that most of his friends came into his life after his accident, and they’d do anything for him. I can relate to that.

Today, I live at my own home with full time support workers, who help me live my life to the fullest with whatever crazy project or idea I have going on, they also help me raise my beautiful Daughter Elsy as I have a good relationship with her mum and we organise as much equal time with her. I’m surrounded by my great family and friends. Life is good again, and I look forward to whatever the future holds.