In Australia, one in five people live with a disability and behind this statistic are millions of individual stories, experiences and perspectives. Our new series ‘One in Five’ is dedicated to bringing those stories to life.
Produced in collaboration with Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and NeuroMoves, each episode offers a candid and reflective look into an individual’s experience of disability, how it has shaped their lives, their routine and the people around them.
Our first guest is Renee Power, who trains at NeuroMoves Joondalup in Perth’s northern suburbs. In this episode, Renee speaks openly about her Encephalitis diagnosis, what came after, and how she found her way to NeuroMoves. Thank you, Renee, for sharing your story so honestly.
Transcript
Renee Power:
“I do have determination. I don’t like to listen to anybody if they tell me something that I don’t want to hear. I like to prove people wrong. I like to be right.
Hi, my name is Renee. I’m 29 years old. I’ll be 30 this year, which is a little bit scary but that’s okay. I’ve got two siblings, I’m an identical twin, and my Mum is my best friend.
So back in 2018 I was struck down with a virus that traveled to my brain. My twin sister was actually vomiting that morning because she felt my illness in a way. They both got me into the car, my mum took me to the doctor’s surgery and they phoned the ambulance, then the ambulance got me to the Joondalup Hospital, and I was in isolation for two days.
They tested me for tens of thousands of viruses, and nothing came back. They finally did a spinal tap and that’s when it came back with encephalitis. I ended up being in a coma for four weeks and when I woke, I wasn’t able to talk, walk, or do anything. I was fed through a tube. I wasn’t able to speak because I had a tracheostomy. They usually do it as a bedside procedure, but when I was in a coma, they had to do it under a general anaesthetic because I was too high risk. But it was very frustrating because obviously I knew what I was thinking and I was trying to communicate these things to my loved ones but they weren’t understanding what I was trying to say and I was like “I’m communicating perfectly how do you not know what I’m trying to say?” But yeah, we got there eventually. After 11 weeks at Joondalup Hospital in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), then HDU (High-Dependency Unit), then I was transported to Fiona Stanley for 10 weeks.
NeuroMoves is just incredible. So, I come here twice a week. Just the community here and being able to say “hi” to people and have a conversation with people. And also it makes you feel less alone as well that other people are going through similar experiences. It’s not just for my physical ability, like improving that, it was for my mental health as well and my well-being.
When I started I wanted to run and I wanted to obviously drive a car again, which I’ve achieved so I’ve got my licence back so that’s incredible. Now I think it’s moving more towards being physically able to start a family and it will be different for them obviously because I will be a bit of an older mum as well. I just want them to be understanding and compassionate human beings that’s all.
I’m engaged, soon to be married. We’d been together for two years and then I fell sick and he stayed the whole time, which I feel very, very special.
Going back home, it was a bit bittersweet because that’s the home that I grew up in. So going back to that home it was obviously relief but also it was a bit scary and daunting as well because my dad had passed in 2016, so a year and a half actually prior to me falling sick, so he wasn’t there as well. So it was just a lot of change, a lot of differences but then a lot of similarities the same as well so just bittersweet.
I’ve definitely become a lot more confident and that’s thanks to NeuroMoves and being able to talk to different people. It’s just, it’s incredible like the person that I was five years ago starting here, is completely different to the person that I am today.”
Want to learn more about NeuroMoves?
NeuroMoves is a specialised exercise physiology and physiotherapy service for people with disability and neurological conditions. Find out more about how they can help you, or a loved one, here.
This project was written and produced by Liberty Smith, Susan Wood and Vivien Rowe.
One in Five: Episode One with Renee Power
SpinalCordInjuriesAustralia July 21, 2026 9:30 am