Marjorie
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Marjorie is in her 50s and has bipolar disorder.
She was working in a regional town as a support worker when, one day, one of her clients developed shingles.
‘She was really really very unwell. And one morning, she actually collapsed in my arms. I had to catch her, and she was literally hanging in my arms drooling on me.’
Days later, Marjorie became ill.
‘I woke up with a sore throat. And I thought, okay, maybe it’s from the cold wind the previous day or something. But I just let it go. And on the way home I really started feeling very tired, but I just brushed it off … And the headaches started.’
Marjorie became confused.
‘On the way to work I started feeling my fingers going numb. And I thought, “Oh, that’s strange.”’
Marjorie struggled to walk. A doctor at the regional hospital said her symptoms were ‘psychological’ because she ‘had a diagnosis of bipolar’. ‘That’s why you can’t walk and can’t stand up straight, and if you can walk then you can go home,’ the doctor told her.
‘And I was very stubborn, so I decided well even if I fall 10 times I’m walking out. I will never forget that little bit. I had to walk to get to the car.’
Marjorie’s symptoms worsened. When she went back to hospital, doctors insisted the unexplained condition was linked to her bipolar disorder.
‘They keep on going back to the bottom line, “Oh, you have bipolar.” No matter whether the bipolar was well-managed, well in control the whole time.’
Doctors eventually diagnosed meningitis caused by the shingles virus. Marjorie now uses a wheelchair.
Marjorie discovered her town lacks services and support for people with disability. She can’t access many of the services for which she has NDIS funding.
‘In town if you’re disabled, whether it’s mentally or physically disabled, you’ve lost. You have literally lost because there are just no services.’
Marjorie says the town ‘is not disabled friendly’. For example, many shops have no wheelchair access.
‘There’s no safe access for drop-off or pick-up for the wheelchair taxi. So, they take chances and you really [are] unsafe … And another thing that’s frustrating here is the disabled parking. They make it the same size and width as a normal parking. And then you try and park in such a way that you can get out of the passenger side with your wheelchair being in place. You can’t do that.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.