On June 27, 1998, Louise Ellery was 21, living in Brisbane and completing a hairdressing course when the car she was driving ran off the road and wrapped around a pole, leaving her with a traumatic, life-changing brain injury.
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Twenty years later, to the day, surrounded by family and friends at Tilley's in Lyneham on Wednesday night, Louise held a triumphant celebration to mark all she had achieved since that day. It was appropriately titled a "Look at Me Now'' party.
Asked how life was now, she replied: "Fantastic''.
Since the accident, she has become a gold-medal-winning athlete in shotput, and made an acclaimed short film as well as writing a TV series based on a mental health theme.
But back on that winter's day two decades ago, things were much more bleak. Her mum June said even the health professionals who treated Louise despaired about what her future might hold.
The young woman was in a coma in hospital in Brisbane for five months before being transferred to the Canberra Hospital where she remained for a further four months. When she did regain consciousness, she had to learn how to walk, talk and eat again.
Mrs Ellery said Louise several years later had returned to Brisbane to see the medical staff and they were astounded by her progress.
"One of the physios just stood there and cried when she saw Louise," she said.
"At the time of the accident, they had just despaired about what they could do for her but just kept working on her. They never expected her to get so far but they also did not give up on her."
Louise did not give up either. Encouraged by medical professionals, family, friends and volunteers, she faced up to every challenge and triumphed.
During her recovery, Louise turned to field athletics, took up shot put and became a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and four-time Paralympian, winning silver in London in 2012 and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Also in 2016, she wrote and co-produced a short film inspired by her own experience. With Little Hope screened at Canberra’s International Film Festival and won a cinematography award before showing at festivals across the world and winning further short-film awards in Hong Kong and New York.
Two decades since the accident, having represented Australia 10 times internationally as an athlete and achieved success with her film, Louise, now 41, hosted the celebration on Wednesday night to thank all those people who supported her. Among her friends there were journalists Karen Middleton and Genevieve Jacobs.
She felt a lot of love in the room.
"I sure did,'' she said. "Everyone was there including people who had seen me at my worst.''
In acknowledging how far she has come in the last 20 years, Louise hopes she can encourage others who experience trauma to keep fighting for life.
“If you’re alive and you’re not doing anything, get out there and make it happen,” she said.
She also hopes to show those who care for them what their work can achieve.
“I’m thankful for the care I received, the team of medical professionals who work hard on lifeless bodies,” Louise said.
“I want to thank them by showing them all what I have achieved in these past 20 years – because I am one of their achievements.”
Louise was most thankful to those closest to her.
“I can’t be more grateful for my family,” she said. “Especially my mother.”
Living in O'Connor, Louise has finished writing one TV series and is on to the next. She has a new dog called Oogi and loves going out on coffee dates.
She said Wednesday night's celebration was "wonderful'' even if it took "three hours'' to eat her dinner, because there were so many people to talk with.
Mrs Ellery said she was very proud of her daughter.
"She perseveres,'' she said. "She manages to pick herself up and continue on.''