"I'm 21 years old and I have just gone home to live with my family..."

"I have my whole life ahead of me and my immediate aims are to go to Uni and become a psychologist. I also want to get married and have a family. But I'll need rehab and disability supports to help me achieve this."

The victim of an unprovoked assault when she was 16, Angela has been left with a severe ABI as a result of this attack. Her parents were told she would be in a persistent vegetative state for the rest of her life and advised to place her in an aged care nursing home.

Angela's parents were horrified at the thought that their 16-year-old daughter was condemned to spend the rest of her life in an aged care facility and refused. Finding few other choices available, they fought to have their daughter accepted into Victoria's Slow To Recover Program (STR).

This dedicated slow stream rehabilitation program for young people with ABI is unique in Australia and has had remarkable success in returning young people with ABI to lives in their communities.

After 2 years on the STR Program, Anj returned to live with her family at home. She wants to become a psychologist and her immediate aims are to go to University, get married and have a family. 

But without the solid financial and in kind support of their local community, Anj's parents could not have afforded the extensive renovations to their home needed to enable their daughter to live there.

Like many other young people living in nursing homes, Angela is not eligible for personal injury compensation and is dependent on a system ill equipped to provide the support she needs to become a productive member of the community again.