By Mitchell Clarke
Maryknoll mum Rebecca Bishop was extremely lucky to survive a horror smash in Berwick which left her trapped under a semi-trailer for over three hours.
A tough decade later, she’s is vowing to use her traumatic story to inspire others.
In February 2010, the Princes Freeway was closed for seven hours as emergency services worked to free Rebecca from her mangled wreck of a car. She was pregnant, but had no idea at the time.
Following the “long and intricate” rescue, Rebecca was airlifted to The Alfred hospital with a host of injuries – too many to name, including bleeding on the brain, facial abrasions and a broken clavicle.
She remained in hospital for a week and spent a month in rehab. It was three weeks before she could walk without a frame, wash herself or eat by herself.
“It was the worst thing I’ve ever been through,” she explained.
A few months after returning home, Rebecca felt she looked a “bit fat”. It turned out she was nearly four months pregnant with her second child and had completely missed the first trimester.
“I was recommended to terminate due to the birth defects at risk of the medication and surgeries,” she said.
But she kept her baby and despite worrying about losing him throughout the entire pregnancy, her “perfect” son Harrison was born on 15 November that year.
“Nothing was really easy, the whole pregnancy was really difficult but when I had him it was the best feeling in the world,” she said.
“The labour was difficult but I’d do it 100 times over.
“He was a precious gift I was given and I just think it’s extraordinary that he’s here. It’s a miracle.”
But the road to recovery has been anything but easy.
“I have struggled significantly since the accident and tend to focus on the positives however we can’t bypass the difficulties,” she explained.
“There are days when I’m really good and every engine is firing and then there are days when I’m in so much pain that I can barely bear it and I cry myself to sleep or I take a sleeping tablet and knock myself out so I can start afresh tomorrow.”
She believes the one thing which saw her through her darkest days is the gift of motherhood.
“Being a mother is the only thing that has got me through it all. I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for that,” she said.
“All mothers have their self-doubt but then when you add in disability and anxiety, you just think you’re the worst in the world but you just have to try and do your best.”
James and Harrison, now 22 and nine respectively, continue to share an unbreakable bond with their mother.
“I had some really dark days at that time and I knew I had to survive because I knew Harrison needed me. He was reliant on me,” she explained.
“I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without my children by my side. There has been a very strong connection between us all and I’m very lucky to share such a great relationship with both my kids.”
Rebecca is yet to drive since the accident, which has robbed her of independence, but she admits getting behind the wheel isn’t something she plans on doing.
“The thought of it petrifies me,” she said.
“Don’t get me wrong – I wish I could, my kids wish I could, my husband wishes I could – but I see the risk as being too high and just can’t bring myself to do it.”
Before the accident, she drove frequently.
“I took my son to karate and swimming and basketball and went out with friends and had the independence to do what I wanted when I wanted and take my son out into the city on the train and just have carefree fun,” she said.
“I’ve not driven in 10 years and only caught public transport into the city this last school holidays to take Harrison out for the day for the first time in 10 years and the first time in his life – without having an obvious panic attack or a melt down and flipping out.”
With the personal demons still lurking, Rebecca is in the process of making 2020 her year.
“I have lived an existence for a decade – I have merely existed and I have not really been living,” she explained.
“I knew that in order to get well I had to push through the discomfort and experience the fear and difficulty to gain the benefit, but I’ve never been prepared to do it.
“I am scared of everything. Every noise I hear makes me jump – sometimes even makes me cry – but I am slowly chipping away at it in my own time and I know that I am destined to do something truly great.
“I am here to help people. I am living proof that you can overcome your mental health issues.”
While she’s never spoken of her struggles publicly, she wants all mothers to know it is OK to reach out for support.
“I felt ashamed to pick up the phone and call for help and I think it’s really important that mother’s and women don’t feel ashamed,” she said.
“Everyone’s story is different and the reaction to trauma is different for everyone.
“I am here to tell people who are struggling that I understand and that your story is not written in stone. It is not permanent and it can change. I am changing mine right now.”
