By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
ANTONIO Vecchio spoke to the Hallam Senior College students about the meaning of courage and resilience.
The Dandenong quadriplegic visited the school earlier this month to speak about the car crash that changed his life, and how he adjusted afterwards.
Antonio, now in his late-20s, was 19 when he lost control of his car while driving to work in wet conditions and suffered a significant spinal cord injury (SCI) as a result.
“I was revived five times in hospital within the first month, so to be alive is something that you are very grateful for,” Antonio told the students.
“I survived and I live with the permanent consequences.”
Visiting Hallam Senior College as part of the SpinChat program, Antonio reflected on the car accident and aimed to highlight to the students the dangers of careless behaviour
“The opportunity to share my personal experiences of SCI with students is a valuable one and I hope my story can have a positive influence on other young people,” Antonio said.
Research has indicated that young adults, aged between 15 and 24 years old, are at the greatest risk of receiving a spinal cord injury.
SpinChat aims to raise awareness, promote prevention and educate secondary students about spinal cord injury.
The program is an initiative of Independence Australia and runs in partnership with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
Independence Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that supports people with a disability.
