
‘I don’t know where my baby carriage went’
“It was my only child and I had a great deal of stress.
My daughter was in college and my son was studying and we were living in a two-bedroom flat in a big city,” Ms McPherson said.”
I couldn’t think of any way I would take her anywhere.”
She said her son had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“He’s a really, really good driver and I couldn’t do it,” she said.
Her husband had just taken her to a specialist when he lost consciousness.
“My husband had a lot of mental health issues,” she added.
“And I thought maybe he was just taking it easy because he was at university.”
So I was like, ‘oh my God, I think this is the worst time.’
“After an MRI showed he had a severe spinal injury, he had to be put on a ventilator and Ms McDougall’s husband had to take care of his children.”
They’ve been in hospital for a long time and they haven’t been getting any treatment,” she explained.”
You don’t see a lot about the people in mental health.
“It’s really frustrating.”
Ms McDoughall said she still has a lot to learn about her own mental health, and how to navigate life without her husband.
“At first I didn’t know what I was going to do, but now I feel like I’ve got a lot more confidence in myself,” she told the ABC.
“What you need to do is look at yourself as a mother and as a human being, you know?”