A miracle girl finally goes home
Published: June 6, 2006
AFTER more than six months of despair, hardship and – finally – ecstasy, Lauren Huxley has come home.
The brave teenager was reunited with her overjoyed parents, Pat and Christine, and sister, Simone, at a new home in Sydney’s west.
The 19-year-old spent her first night at home on Friday having a “pizza party” with family and friends. The next night she enjoyed dinner at her favourite hotel.
Determined to tackle life to the fullest, Lauren has spent the week making collages of photographs of family and friends and hopes to be able to take up swimming soon.
A relieved Pat Huxley told The Sunday Times his daughter’s first day at home began with a request for cooked breakfast.
“She just turns around and said, `Can I have some bacon and eggs?’ and I said, `You can have anything you want’,” Mr Huxley said.
“It’s lovely. Nothing’s an effort because I never thought I’d hear those words again. We’re just so glad we’ve got her, just so glad.
“It’s just a total blessing having her back, just waking up each morning knowing she’s home.”
Lauren captured the hearts of the nation when she was allegedly attacked on November 9 last year. She was found doused with petrol and with head and internal injuries in the garage of her parents’ suburban home, which was alight.
In December, carpenter Robert Black Farmer, 37, was charged with five offences, including grievous bodily harm with intent to murder. The next court sitting is on September 7 after forensic tests are complete in the US.
After the alleged attack, Lauren was in a coma for four weeks and needed months of intensive physiotherapy.
Lauren went home after several weeks in a halfway house for head-injured patients, where she learnt to cook and clean for herself.
Her time in the halfway house followed months in the brain- injury rehabilitation unit at Westmead Hospital, where physio, occupational and speech therapists helped her begin her long road to recovery on December 15.
She was unable to eat or walk unassisted and spent most of her time confined to bed or a wheelchair. But with a team of determined health professionals behind her, she began challenging even their expectations – just as she had defied the odds to live.
On January 24 – day 76 of her recovery – she took her first walk unaided: A 10m trip across the floor of the physio room which took 12 seconds. Lauren had been walking for some weeks with others supporting her, gradually improving, but this was a new victory.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen her walk like that,” her mother, Christine, said at the time.
Emboldened by Lauren’s progress, physiotherapist Jenny, with whom Lauren built a strong bond, said a week later: “We’re going to throw this wheelchair out.”
Lauren’s progress continued in the following weeks.
Each day, she walked further and faster, taking longer strolls around the hospital grounds.
At the same time, she was on a regime of step exercises to help her balance, exercise-bike riding to build strength and ball-throwing to increase her motor skills. Then on February 13 – day 96 – she made her second major breakthrough. It came after she had just walked 800m to the hospital newsagent, by then a regular feature of her occupational therapy.
Accompanied by her family and an occupational therapist, she bought a magazine before returning to the rehabilitation unit – a big effort.
It was when she returned that she did something that thrilled her father.
It started as simply as Lauren eating half a banana – her first “real” food since her ordeal.
That was followed by her first meal: pasta, pumpkin, potato and gravy with bread and jam followed by chocolate cake.
Mr Huxley regarded it as his daughter’s most groundbreaking achievement.
He recorded it in his diary, noting: “She is truly on the road to recovery.”
Lauren began taking more trips outside the hospital to dress shops, video shops and restaurants. McDonald’s was a favourite.
For the two months before returning home, Lauren was in a supported residential unit near the hospital.
She learnt to cook, clean and generally take care of herself. A favourite meal was a cheese and Vegemite sandwich.
She would come return home for visits, first for an afternoon and then overnight stays, but Lauren’s progress continued so rapidly her parents thought she was ready to return home permanently.
Then, last Friday, on May 26 – 198 days after she started on her road to recovery – Lauren came home to stay.
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