Liam's story

Reclaiming independence

There are very few experiences that render entire friendship circles speechless. This is one.

At the bright age of 17, Liam Shepherd jumped into a car with four of his mates in Collie, about two Hours South-east of Perth in Western Australia. They were a tight friendship group, navigating their final year of high school and busy making memories.

They were just outside their hometown, on a perfectly sunny morning, on a road they all knew like the back of their hands. But somehow, devastatingly, the driver lost control and hit a tree.

"It was 11 o'clock in the morning, we were just out having a fish, having a barbecue. And then, yeah, unfortunately the driver lost control and we hit a tree. There were five of us in the car and I was the only one injured," reflects Liam.

With his sights set on working in the defence force and experience in human anatomy through his school, sports and volunteering, Liam thankfully had some basic training in injury management and took charge of the circumstances quickly. As he emerged from a momentary concussion, he recognised something was drastically wrong with his body and told his friends to leave him, still.

"I felt around and realised I couldn't lift my arms or move my legs. So I actually said to my mate, who was about to move me, 'don't touch me, just call an ambulance'. The doctors reckoned that actually saved my life," said Liam.

"We stayed put and waited for the ambulance to come. Then a chopper arrived, and an emergency paramedic was winched down to me. Mum and Dad made it to the crash site and from there I was transferred to the airport where the RAC helicopter was waiting to take us to the Emergency Department at Royal Perth Hospital."

There, Liam was assessed as having sustained a C6 spinal cord injury - in his words that part of his neck was "completely flat and shattered, like a pancake". And with that, in the prime of his life, Liam was forced to accept permanent disability and a long journey of focused recovery and rehabilitation.

He had a tough start too. Liam was initially expected to stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) for about a week, but that dragged out to 37 days - plagued by a pressure wound and then pneumonia. He was intubated, so he says the lived experience of that time isn't too traumatic - but his family uprooted their lives in regional Western Australia to be by his side, with Liam's two younger siblings still to care for too. After a long 102 days, Liam was finally transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital to begin an intensive rehabilitation phase of recovery.

"Coming from a small community, we were lucky, there were many offers from everyone that had apartments in the city. Mum and Dad were able to stay in the hospital for a couple of nights, and we also have family in Rossmoyne, so they stayed there too," he recalls.

"Luck" is a word that punctuates many of Liam's sentences. For a young man who had his entire life trajectory changed in an instant, his attitude towards managing his injury is nothing short of inspiring.

"Luck" is a word that punctuates many of Liam's sentences. For a young man who had his entire life trajectory changed in an instant, his attitude towards managing his injury is nothing short of inspiring.

"Everyone says I've got the best headspace. I was lucky. I had quite a few months in Royal Perth, so I was surrounded by lots of people in the same situation. Once I got to rehab, I was able to see a future beyond my injury because I was with people making progress. For me, rehab was a time to get fit, to get home. I was only in rehab for three months, which was obviously tricky, but it was probably one of the best times of my life," says Liam.

During rehab he met interesting people and saw different perspectives, well beyond the world he knew growing up in regional WA. Ultimately, he says the experience taught him to accept the new limitations on his mobility and to maximise his potential for recovery too.

"There were set-backs, like knowing I probably wouldn't be able to draw again - and I love art. But they gave me tools and utensils to type and embrace my new normal. But of course, I remained eager to get stronger, to regain function."

Through his network of treating doctors and occupational therapists, Liam was offered the chance to participate in the Remplir™ clinical trial - and to undergo nerve transfer therapy under the guidance of experienced orthopaedic surgeon and nerve repair specialist, Dr Alex O'Beirne. He had two transfers on his arm, and one on the right.

"We sat down with the doctor and he explained what was involved and all the benefits that we could get out of this therapy. I wasn't really hesitant - I was like, it's definitely got to happen because I want my fingers back.

"I think the intensive recovery was about six weeks and then results came probably two or three months after that. And I started seeing some major results. Even to this day I'm seeing changes, and it's been two, three years since the procedure now," said Liam.

The physical changes in Liam's body have been powerful. Originally diagnosed as a quadriplegic, he has now completely reclassified how he describes his physical state.

"I always refer to myself as basically a paraplegic. That's how much function I've got back. Almost everything that a general person can do, I can do. The only thing that limits me is the weight of things, but I can carry around three or four kilos in one hand by itself without issues now," he said.

Liam is now embracing things he thought previously off limits, like shooting on the farm.

"We've got a block of land just outside of town and we used to go shooting - and [after my accident] I thought that could never happen again. But about a year ago, I tried again and was surprised to see I could do it. I have also regained the ability to drive a regular car - pushing and pulling the hand controls, and pressing buttons. This is all due to the operation I had."

For Liam though, the biggest achievement is his recent decision to embrace independent living. He's now working full time as a Support to Plan Management and is excelling in his role, with a bright future ahead. Liam is also volunteering as a member of Heart Hub Southwest, a not-for-profit organisation helping individuals navigating Road Trauma.

"The plan this year is to move down to Bunbury, which is about 40 minutes away from home, to continue building my career down there. There will be ramps and stuff installed at home, but the rest of it, just a normal house. I will be living independently."

For more information about Orthocell's Remplir™ treatment please contact a qualified medical professional.