Sharon's Story
I am a single mother of three teenage children. I’m very proud of all of them, even though they do come with their own trying times. I can honestly say that I am still trying to understand the makings of a teenager...yes, they do come complete with a set of split personalities...but I have no regrets. As a single mom for over 15 years, my kids have relied on me 100% for everything in their lives-- just like many other single parents.My children were each born with a rare blood disorder, which required monthly blood infusions while they were growing up. Over the past 20 years, we have experienced over 150 admissions to hospital between them. As if this wasn’t enough to deal with, a car hit my daughter when she was only six. While she was
standing on the footpath, with friends, a car came around the corner way too fast. The lady had pulled out into oncoming traffic and had to put her foot to the floor, in order to escape an impending crash with another car. While she was looking in the rear-view mirror, she mounted the footpath, collecting my daughter and throwing her 20m, into oncoming traffic. Her bad decision landed my daughter in hospital with multiple fractures and internal injuries. After spending 8 weeks in traction, she was allowed to go home. But it took a further 18 months before she was OK. So you can imagine how important I am to my children, and with no father to fall back on...I am their lifeline. Fast-forward to March 16, 2006.
Life was great! My daughter was studying dance full-time. Despite all her life challenges, she was well on her way to achieving her life-long dream of becoming a famous dancer, which she has since achieved. She is a lead dancer/aerial acrobat for Disney Sea in Japan. My older son had just started his Tafe course, to begin his career as a mechanic. While the youngest, my baby, was in his final year at primary school. We were all about to embark on new stages in our lives. Who would have ever thought that a lack of understanding of diabetes could have caused so much heartache, and life changing consequences for so many.... The day began like any other....
Breakfast, showers, making of lunches and getting ready for school and work.... I don’t recall much of that day, but apparently we all went off on our ways, to where we were meant to be that day...
My next memories are these:
I can see my daughter looking at me through a window.... come on mum...she says.... she’s crying.... Mum I love you...PLEASE DON’T GO...My dad washing his hands at a sink....he’s looking at me....he’s crying....
My sister sitting beside my bed....she’s crying and saying that she’s sorry for not being the sister she should have been.
Six weeks later I awake in ICU. I can hear machine noises, I cannot talk, I am seeing double. I cannot move as I am stuck to the bed with numerous tubes and wires coming out all over me...I can hear the noise of a machine breathing for me, I start to cry...I am terrified of what has happened. The look of sheer devastation on my family’s faces says it all. I am told that I was involved in a head-on car crash while on my way to work...my family was told that I was not expected to live.
My injuries were so bad that nobody had ever survived what I somehow managed to survive.
My face was torn apart and had numerous fractures, including orbital eye, cheeks, nose, jaw and teeth. The doctors stitched me up and pulled my nose out so that my family could look at me...but it wasn’t until 2008 that I had facial reconstruction done. I had to have a tracheotomy done on my throat to allow me to breath. I had several broken ribs, punctured lungs on both sides. My sternum was fractured, causing damage to my heart. I had several operations on my liver, trying to save it, but we lost the battle...I now have only ¼ of my liver, and it won’t regenerate because of all the damage, but it is really healthy and I can survive with it. I lost my gallbladder, appendix, ruptured my spleen and had part of my bowel taken out. There wasn’t any part of me that was not affected in some way....
I broke both hips, pelvic and fractured my right femur, which I had to have pinned. I’ve endured several skin grafts and cosmetic surgeries in order for me to walk. My right leg is now 4.8cm shorter than my left leg. I also had two fractures to my lower spine and trauma to my upper spine.
The fractures to my hip and pelvic areas were of major concern, due to the rupture of the main arteries that run through that area. I received the greatest amount of blood ever given to one patient, draining all of southeast Qld and northern NSW’S blood supply.
I have lost count of how many surgeries I have had. It’s way above the 40 mark by now. After having a further seven operations during 2008 and two more booked for 2009, I can only hope that it comes to an end soon.
I can only imagine the trauma and heartache my family, friends and my kids went through. My family was told I only had a 1% chance of survival -- and that if I did survive, the possibility of me being disabled was very high.
My children all reacted very differently, my daughter would curl up in a foetal position and cry for hours, not allowing anyone to comfort her...my older boy took his anger out on anyone who came near him, and to this day my baby doesn’t talk about it much at all...
Outrage is a word that can only describe the way I feel...How can anyone do this to someone...Does the driver of the other vehicle have no respect for themselves or anyone else?I was very angry to find out that the driver was never charged for his blatant disrespect on our roads, and for ignoring my right to drive safely to work. I pushed, and eventually he was charged and was set to go to trial, only to have the Department of Police Prosecutions drop all charges, because this man has diabetes. They say he cannot be held criminally responsible for his actions...only civilly.... as he had complied with the new conditions of reporting his medical condition to the Dept of Transport Qld. This took all responsibility off him...as per the new ‘Jets Law’.
Research shows that when driving with a medical condition, there are only guidelines for people to follow...Nothing is law...It comes down to the responsibility of each driver to act according to their condition. The reality is, most diabetics don’t understand the consequences of driving with diabetes. Like the man who hit me – he didn’t know that when he ignored the warning signs of his disease and got behind the wheel, he not only was placing his own life in danger, but everyone else’s as well. This man had no idea that his diabetes could cause anyone else so much trauma.
I feel that I have survived this horrific ordeal in order to warn people about the dangers that we all face on our roads. I feel that education is our greatest tool. I am determined to enhance the knowledge of all diabetic drivers and make them aware of how diabetes affects themselves and others.You’re so precious to so many. You’re someone’s son or daughter, much loved grandchild, best mate, husband or wife. Please give them the respect they and yourself deserve.
SURVIVE THE DRIVE.
PLEASE STOP ‘HYPODRIVE’
Sharon Whitchurch
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