Brooke Dewberry
BROOKE Dewberry, who was seriously injured when a couch was thrown over the railing of a Tamworth pub last week, says she’s slowly getting better and is looking forward to going home.
The 42-year-old was flown to Tamworth hospital from Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital on Wednesday night after she was able to pass an important test.
“I had to walk around the hospital before I could come back to Tamworth. It was fabulous just to be able to walk,” she said.
Ms Dewberry, who suffered a fractured C5 vertebrae and bulging disc in the incident last Friday night, said doctors told her she was lucky to be alive.
“They said a hit on the head from that height and weight, I was extremely lucky to be able to walk again,” she said yesterday, in her room filled with flowers, cards and balloons.
“I’m the luckiest person.”
Reunited with her youngest children, aged three and five, on Wednesday night, Ms Dewberry said she was just happy to give them a cuddle. She said, along with her back and neck injuries, her short-term memory had suffered from the blow to her head.
She said she was conscious throughout the incident, remembering that she had no idea what had happened to her until she was told later.
“Dan (Murphy) and I were just out for dinner,” she said.
“I thought it was an explosion, or a bomb.
“There was instant pain and I thought, My God, my neck, my God. I just slumped against the wall. Dan was just wonderful, he called security over and rang the ambulance.”
The incident shocked the Tamworth community, with Brooke saying she had been overwhelmed by support and wanted to thank those who had reached out to her.
“Everyone has been so lovely. I can feel the support from the town people,” she said.
Overwhelmed with offers to mow her lawn, pick up her kids from school and to drive her around, Brooke said she was brought to tears by people’s generosity.
“People are just beautiful,” she said.
Her friend, Mr Murphy, who was with Ms Dewberry when the accident happened, said it was great to see her on the road to recovery.
“It’s good to see her back in Tamworth. The next stage is to get her home,” he said.
Ms Dewberry said she was hoping to be home early next week, if everything went well.
She will have to wear a neck brace for the next few months, relying on her friends and family to help her change it daily, and won’t be able to drive for at least three months.
Ms Dewberry said the hardest thing about lying in a hospital bed was her loss of independence.
“It’s very hard. I’ve always been so independent, now I have to rely on others,” she said.
Studying at the University of New England to become a teacher, she said she had a newfound appreciation for the memory cards used in primary school teaching.
Nurses now show Brooke the same cards, to help her short-term memory improve.
But most of all, she wants to go home to her own house.
“I’ll just be happy to walk through my front door again,” she said.