I’m on a mission to build TRUST in our health system from the ground up, and ensure that patients and health consumers are treated with respect - and ensure that people like you and I can have a say and make a difference to the way our health system cares for, supports, and empowers us.
We are VALUABLE members of the health ecosystem, and our experiences of living in, and moving through that system give us unique insights that often aren’t considered when important decisions are being made.
By advocating on behalf of YOU, I, and the Australian public I’m able to bring these diverse perspective and insights to the attention of health executives, professional and tertiary bodies, the clinical community, and all levels of government.
“I work in health,
but live every day as a patient”
I do this work to ensure that the decisions that are made about our health and communities are made based on WHAT MATTERS TO US, and not what is the matter with us.
I advocate not just for my own lived-experience and insight, but also with the goal of giving a platform to other advocates so that they too can SPEAK UP on behalf of their communities.
Together, by speaking up, empowering one anothers’ lived-experiences and expertise, and connecting with key decision-makers in government and private industry - we can TRANSFORM the way we design and deliver EQUITABLE, SAFE, and EFFECTIVE health care and well-being support in Australia and around the globe.
putting the human back in health.
My Journey
What challanges have I faced, and how did I end up here?
0 - 15 years
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and Liver Disease (Primary Schlerosing Cholangitis) at the age of three, and underwent extensive testing to determine the severity and activity of my illnesses. Over the following decade I never lived a day when I wasn’t in pain or discomfort despite the often dozen or more medications I had to take.
What should have been a time of childhood exploration and carelessness was instead a balancing act between school, friends, and an illness that would often leave me in crippling pain and unable to get out of bed. Because of the side-effects of medications used to help manage my health, I spent most of my childhood struggling with obesity and mood swings.
16 - 19 years
At the age of sixteen I had become so unwell the only treatment option left was for me to undergo a ten hour major surgical procedure to remove my large intestine. My health improved for a time, however my final year of schooling - during which I sat the HSC - was interrupted by nine recurrent bowel obstructions, which caused extreme pain and required emergency admissions to hospital. Unable to find the cause, I had a second major operation to uncover and remedy the cause of these obstructions.
My physical health improved steadily, but as I moved away from the structure and routine of schooling to a self-driven and less supportive university environment, I found a lifetime’s worth of anxiety and depressive thoughts came to the front of my mind.
20 - 23 years
Shortly after reaching out to friends and family for support, I began seeing a mental health professional and would later be diagnosed with severe depression and an anxiety disorder. I still manage these illnesses to this day, but for a time I lost direction, ambition, and connection to the world and people around me.
I turned to advocacy, and trying to find meaning in my own experience and the act of sharing with others became something I grew to pursue with an unending enthusiasm and passion.
All aspects of my life came into balance - through diligence, determination, the support of loved ones, friends, and professional supports, and no small amount of stubbornness.
24 - now years
But shortly after finding my feet again my liver, after twenty-two years of illness, began to fail. My health would continue to deteriorate rapidly until I was fortunate enough to be the grateful recipient of a healthy donor liver in an operation that took fourteen hours and almost cost me my life.
My new chance at life was snatched away within 6 months after developing complications as the artery in my new liver blocked completely - causing irreparable damage to vital parts of the organ. I become prone to infection complications, and spent a further 30 weeks in hospital fighting sepsis and two episodes of septic shock before I was again the recipient of a donor liver.
I have faced many challenges in life so far, but I have always been treated with kindness, compassion, and valued as a brother, a son, a student, a friend, and an advocate. These are the qualities that underpin my work, and drive me to collaborate with and empower others to create positive change in the health space.
