Anything is possible | mcm

Tanya’s beaming smile and bright eyes tell a story of strength and determination. She has triumphed over some major life challenges to not only be a bubbly, vibrant and positive person, but to also become a budding professional children’s writer.

You never know what’s round the corner in life and the last thing Tanya expected at age twenty was an aneurysm, massive stroke and consequential bleeding in her brain — all occurring within three months of each other. With next to no warning, this of course catastrophically changed Tanya’s life at the time. While amazingly she survived this experience, Tanya was left with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

The beginning of Tanya’s story is not uncommon: a surprising number of people have an ABI, perhaps as the result of an accident, injury or other trauma to the brain. However, now over twenty years later, it’s clear to see that Tanya’s story is nothing short of extraordinary.

The early years of Tanya’s recovery were quite well supported, but it was only when she started visiting Melbourne Citymission’s Compass Clubhouse two years ago that life really began to turn around for her.

“I saw a massive change in myself”, explained Tanya, “my mental stamina improved greatly and I no longer needed a sleep in the day time.”

The Clubhouse is a safe place in which people with an ABI can come and spend time. The Clubhouse supports members to regain life and work skills and participate more meaningfully in the community. The ‘Clubhouse’ is a model that has seen great results internationally, but had not been introduced to Australia prior to the Melbourne Citymission initiative.

Through training provided at the Clubhouse, Tanya learnt to use a computer and before long, became the Clubhouse newsletter editor. Tanya was no stranger to writing, having spontaneously written a children’s story from her hospital bed the year before. “I woke up and just started to write and write and write. The words simply poured out of me.” Tanya described.

With the new found confidence and creative flow, Tanya decided to study for a Diploma in Creative Writing, which she excelled at, achieving eight High Distinctions out of twelve! Within seven months she also went on to complete a Diploma in Children’s Writing, which cemented her ambition to become a published writer.

“When I was growing up, I had a natural flare for English, but didn’t dream about being a writer. These courses have helped me develop my skills and the confidence to write more stories.”

One of Tanya’s stories, ‘Alice the Centipede — spreading the love’, shows it doesn’t matter how many legs you have, we can all still be friends. In fact, each of Tanya’s stories has a poignant moral, which isn’t predictable like the ones in many children’s books. Her tales are told with humour, truth, and appeal to adults as much as children.

Tanya is now seeking to publish her books and has received good feedback so far.

“I’ve just blossomed over the last couple of years,” glowed Tanya, “really come out of my shell.” Tanya’s real life story and the tales within her books are a lesson to us all: you really can do anything.

An ABI can happen to anyone at any time. The Compass Clubhouse currently receives no Government funding, your donations are crucial in helping it stay open and continue to support the community.

To donate and support our programs click here.