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I acted with Hayley in The Darling Buds Of May in 1997.
I am 19 years old - will be 20 in July.
Last year whilst on my way home from university I fell from my bike and finished up with a serious traumatic brain injury which has completely altered my life. The accident happened on the 15th of August last year at 6:15 on my way home from varsity. No one has any idea why I fell off - and yes - I was wearing a helmet. It was four days before it was discovered that I was suffering from what is known as a serious traumatic brain injury.
From being the Head Student at Linwood College, the BOT rep, a member of the Christchurch City Youth Council, worked as a TV cameraman and varies other activates there were a lot of changes to come to terms with. The first thing that everyone noticed was my speech. I began to speak with a stutter that meant that I was not able to be understood (this was a huge change as a year ago I got the top mark in New Zealand for grade 7 Trinity Speech and Drama). I also began to have trouble with my short term memory, balance hearing and sight. A lot of things have now improved although I still have a long way to go. I have tried to return to university, but I couldn't handle it. I still can't read a lot, can't return to work and the community spirited life that I used to live has had to be curtailed. I have had to sleep a lot more that most people need to, and I still do. I drive a mobility scooter around the place, as driving and using a bus is impossible.
I have had to learn to read again and most activities have been in the two hard basket for quite some time - most still are. One of the things that I have filled up my days with is listening to music and Hayleys CD has been one of the ones that I have listened to constantly. It has been privilege to listen to. Music is something that many health professionals say can carry you through some of the darkest days, it has been great to have the option to listen to such beautiful, natural music.
The changes in my life have been particularly hard to take but music has been one of these things that has carried me through. In the darkest moments of despair I have gone to the CD player and put on a CD to carry myself away. I find that music can in a sense put you in a different state of mind. In more recent times I have been able to play my own music on the keyboard but in the early days it was the CD, and when things are going badly even now it is the CDs that get used.
I am a bit of a classical fan and my two favourite artists are Hayley Westenra and Charlotte Church. Les Miss is about people facing a struggle, a lot greeted than mine. I have listened to Les Mis an awful lot, and Hayleys recording of 'I Dreamed a Dream' has been magic. It has really got me through some tough times.
I am continuing to recover, although this is a slow process. There was not an aspect of my life that was not affected by the accident. From being the Head Student at Linwood College and having a succesful begining to my university career to not being able to speak clearly or remember things has been a particularly hard thing to come to terms with. Talking about
These things publicly is very difficult - although I beleive that in doing it I may have the opportunity to help others.
Daniel Rooney