Amelia, 26, was dancing with friends and 'full of life' when she suffered a stroke so catastrophic it instantly paralysed her. Now she's trapped in her own body
One moment, Amelia Keam was dancing to live music with her best friends - the next, she was fighting for her life in hospital.
Now the 26-year-old from Sydney, who once enjoyed an active and social life, is trapped inside her own body.
In a devastating twist of fate, Amelia suffered a catastrophic stroke in March that has left her paralysed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe.
The condition, most closely resembling Locked-in Syndrome (LiS), is incredibly rare and heart-wrenching. Amelia is fully conscious and aware, but unable to speak or move - only able to communicate through her eyes and by mouthing words.
Her loved ones describe her as the last person you'd expect to be struck by a medical emergency.
'She was the picture of vitality. Healthy, active, and full of life,' said Chloe, a close family friend.
A psychology graduate who worked in mental health, Amelia had dedicated her life to helping others before her own world came crashing down.
That fateful night began like any other for Amelia, who according to her father Stephen, was out with mates in Newcastle, NSW for a small concert.
'I was actually on my way home from work when my eldest daughter, Beck, rang me at quarter-to-one in the morning to tell me Amelia was in hospital,' he told FEMAIL.
While out enjoying Newcastle's nightlife, Amelia had suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed, falling into cardiac arrest.
Miraculously, two Australian Defence Force members - complete strangers at the time - stepped in, performed CPR and gave her a fighting chance before paramedics rushed her to hospital in Newcastle.
'I live in Mackay [Queensland] nearly 2000 kilometers away, so I Googled Newcastle hospitals, and there's only two there,' said Stephen.
'They put me through to emergency and [then] to ICU, and the nurse said, "I'll get the doctor". That was a little bit of an alarm bell.'
On the phone, Amelia's initial diagnosis didn't seem so bad, with a doctor telling Mr Keam that she'd had a minor stroke, so they were going to run some tests and a CT scan.
'A couple hours later they told me she had a small tear in her right cervical vertebral artery [one of two vertebral arteries that supply blood to the brain and spinal cord], but he said with some medication and rest she should be fine.'
However, both the doctors' and Stephen's worst fears were confirmed after Amelia's MRI scan later that day.
The stroke had in fact caused a bilateral cervical arterial disconnection, which is so rare it affects less than 15 people out of every million.
Both the internal carotid arteries and vertebral arteries were torn each side of Amelia's neck, disrupting blood flow to the brain affecting her motor reflexes and leaving her unable to move or breathe on her own.
'Her communication is by mouthing words and using eye movements. She is unable to produce any sound because a ventilator is breathing for her,' said Chloe.
Now, Amelia's long road to recovery begins - but it won't be easy.
The extensive care she needs includes around-the-clock support from neurology and spinal specialists, physiotherapists, and a dedicated rehabilitation team.
Although Stephen said there was a recent glimmer of hope when Amelia's tube was removed and she breathed unassisted for a few minutes, the experts have warned that she may never fully recover.
'The specialist said he couldn't see Amelia even being off the ventilator for probably six months, and while she's on that, to my knowledge, she will be in ICU,' he said.
For now, the Keam's priority is to sell their family home in Mackay and relocate to Sydney to be closer to Amelia and her rehabilitation.
'The hospitals down there are much better than what's available here,' Stephen said.
'Amelia's very outgoing, very kind and puts on such a bravado and she deserves a chance to fight for her future.'
With support, the experts believe Amelia could reclaim parts of her life and maybe even walk again one day, but for now it's a day-by-day progress.
'It's hard to talk about, [but] the support of the community so far is overwhelming,' Stephen said of Amelia's GoFundMe campaign, which has already gained momentum in such a short amount of time.
You can donate to the family's campaign via the link in the bullet points at the top of this article.
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South Wales Argus
19 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
St Josephs Hospital in Newport hosts first CT study day
The event, held earlier this month, was part of the hospital's third annual study day series, following two MRI-focused CPD events. Designed to coincide with the recent installation of a state-of-the-art CT suite, the study day was attended by specialist radiographers from across Wales and beyond. The new suite features a Canon Aquilion One/Insight Edition scanner and Centargo Medrad power injector. Sponsored by Canon Medical Systems and Bayer, the free event offered attendees a full day of high-quality educational content, networking opportunities, and exclusive access to St Joseph's diagnostic imaging facilities. Laura Taylor, specialist radiographer at St Joseph's Hospital, said: "Events of this nature are an essential component of ongoing professional development, yet in-person educational opportunities remain limited in Wales. "We are immensely grateful to our sponsors and colleagues for enabling us to deliver such a successful day." The programme included a range of presentations from speakers across the UK. Stuart Baines, consultant radiographer at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, opened with a session on CT head reporting. Dr John Dreisbach, a Glasgow-based radiologist, delivered a standout presentation on advanced and emergency cardiac CT. Mr Hariharan, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, discussed the role of CT imaging in surgical precision, while Dr Sue Kearney, a radiologist from Lancashire, spoke about the growing relevance of post-mortem CT in forensic imaging. A comprehensive overview of cardiac pathology was provided by Dr Obaid from Morriston Hospital. The event concluded with presentations from Canon and Bayer, followed by a guided tour of St Joseph's imaging department. Attendees were able to view the newly installed Canon Insight CT scanner and Bayer Centargo injector. Feedback from attendees was positive, with Ms Taylor adding: "Beyond supporting CPD, events like this foster cross-organisational collaboration, stimulate service innovation, and provide a platform to showcase the exceptional work taking place at St Joseph's. "We extend our sincere thanks to our speakers, sponsors, the wider St Joe's team, and all those who joined us." The team now plans to expand its educational offering with additional CPD events, including evening lectures and half-day workshops.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was a thriving student with a place at a top university until I tried my first line of cocaine... within two years I was taking it daily, I'd dropped out and wanted to kill myself
When she was 16, Camilla Collins had a bright future. The student had won a place at the prestigious fashion school Central Saint Martins with a career in the arts in mind. Everything was looking great. But one night at a party, she tried a line of cocaine. Within two years she'd dropped out of university and was contemplating suicide. Things had got so bad, Camilla said she couldn't go a day without the drug, she'd lost all her friends and family and barely recognised herself. Now 37 and sober, Camilla has warned against the rise in the casual use of the Class A drug - as campaigners have revealed deaths from cocaine have soared to a record high in the UK, amid complaints 'doing a line is a common as having a pint'. Speaking exclusively to Femail, Camilla explained how she became addicted to the drug in her early twenties, and how she turned her life around. 'The kids at school used to smoke a bit of weed,' she said. 'That never agreed with me because it was a downer. 'I was always the type of person who wanted the upper. 'I never really had besties at school and I tended to go out with people that were older than me. 'So I had my fake ID and I used to go to clubs with them and just be around them and that was when I was introduced to it. 'That was when it came on to my radar. 'I was probably around 16 or 17 when I had my first line of coke. 'I remember thinking something along the lines of this was the best thing since sliced bread because you just love being out and chatting to people and it helps you party longer. 'And then a couple of years down the line it got to the point where I couldn't go out without it,' she confessed. 'It starts off as a weekend thing but then it bleeds in to the week and obviously over time became a problem. 'And I was spending more time in pubs and I became a bit of a nightmare. 'I'd even alienate the people that sort of did it - they'd want to go home and I'd want to carry on for days. 'And then I'd hang around pubs and make new friends and of course when you're on that type of drug it wouldn't be a pretty sight. 'I'd be at different parties and picking people up on the way.' And although she knew she wasn't truly enjoying herself, she said she found she couldn't stop. 'It was a lifestyle... and you enable yourself in any way, when you've got any sort of addiction.' After leaving school, Camilla got into Central St Martins School of Art and Design, hopeful of fashion career ahead. But within a year, aged 19, she dropped out and 'barely recognised herself'. 'It gives me chills thinking back to the people I was with. 'When you're in it, you're so far from the life you had before, you just don't even know how to get back. 'You're just a shell of yourself and just trying to get through the day.' The turning point for Camilla came one Christmas at a drinks reception and dinner with her mother. She explained she was on the rooftop bar at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, looking out across Hyde Park but found she was unable to enjoy it. 'I'd stayed up all night and overslept and missed my hair appointment with a family friend. 'And everyone had their glad rags on and I was there with a drink. 'I didn't have any coke or anything but I remember looking through the windows and thinking "what if? What if I just fell?". 'And it was so lovely to be up there and it should be beautiful but I just felt like I was in such a dark place. 'I would never ever be able to feel joy again or anything and I just thought "If only I could get through the door, what a relief it would be to just jump off". 'After that I thought, "well I'm so f***ed. 'I'm in a hole so deep I literally cannot see a way out. 'Before I'd have a drink and a line on the weekend and it would be alright but now the drugs weren't even working. 'I was at rock bottom essentially.' That same night, Camilla told her mother everything and asked her for some help. The next morning, the mother and daughter went for an initial consultation at The Priory in North London, where Camilla then stayed for a month. After leaving, she got a sponsor, attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings and go her life back on track. But, she admits it wasn't always easy. She has relapsed several times but said it's been years since she last used cocaine. Instead she's thrown herself in to her businesses, having trained as a special effects make-up artist with two thriving make-up and wedding companies under her belt. Camilla has also now turned to coaching and is helping other entrepreneurs maximise their potential. Camilla's story is not unusual. Victoria Seed, an addiction and family recovery specialist told MailOnline cocaine widely entered the market 30 years ago, its purity might have been in single figures but more recently there have been some samples which have a reported purity of 90 per cent. It's part of the reason as to why in 2024, cocaine-related deaths in the UK hit a record high. A record-breaking 5,448 drug poisoning deaths were recorded in 2023 – a rate of 93 deaths per million people. This is the eleventh consecutive annual rise, up on the 4,907 recorded in 2022, and the most since records began in 1993. Victoria explained that many don't reach out until they or their partners notice they are unable to function properly because of their addiction. She said: 'Most people 'function' in daily life but what they don't understand is that as soon as a drug (including alcohol) starts affecting their life negatively, it's time to make a change. 'Sometimes people find that they can't trust their partners who might be putting the children to bed but still racking up a line or taking drugs and driving, putting children at risk.' She said that there are still barriers to cocaine dependence, explaining that sometimes those who use the drug will try to function 'normally' to prove they don't need it. 'Sometimes people will be up all night and sleep all day and you often find that they might be up all night and then try and stay up all day to prove to their partners that they're fine and functioning,' Victoria explained. She added that it's difficult to treat because it's not as simple as handing someone a dose of methadone and that instead there have to be behavioural and lifestyle changes. 'With cocaine, it's seen as a 'psychological' dependence, so we look to provide behavioural treatments like CBT and therapeutic intervention.' The latest data from ONS (Office for National Statistics) that in total, there were 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning in 2023 - a staggering 11 per cent rise on the previous year, and the highest level since records began in 1993 Victoria added that many will have a wake-up call where they realise the costs of their cocaine usage outweighs the benefits. Camilla echoed Victoria's thoughts, explaining that for many it is difficult to reach out for help. She said: 'Addicts will carry a significantly heavy weight of shame which makes it even harder to ask for help but it's so important that you do because cocaine addiction is rarely something you will be able to tackle on your own. 'While rehab may not be possible for everyone, a complete change in environment - people, places, things that trigger old thought patterns and behaviour - will be necessary to stop usage, overcome the reliance on cocaine, and allow oneself to rebuild their self image, confidence, and learn to live happily without the need for mind altering substances.' Cocaine usage is often not just a party drug but a way for people to deal with trauma or pre-existing mental health problems but instead of aiding them it often exacerbates existing issues with cocaine increasing the risk of depression and suicide risk, anxiety, panic, paranoia, psychosis. And it isn't just cocaine usage that is the problem Increasingly people are dying after mixing the drug with alcohol which creates an entirely new drug - cocaethylene. Cocaethylene is a toxic metabolite produced in the liver when cocaine and alcohol are mixed together. Instead of breaking down cocaine, the presence of alcohol changes the process and the resulting cocaethylene has unique and dangerous effects including increased toxicity and stays present in the body for longer. The effect on the body includes an increase in the risk of heart attacks, strokes and sudden death. People also become more aggressive, more impulsive and more likely to overdose with some links to suicide. But the combination of alcohol and cocaine is something that is so socially acceptable, Camilla confessed she didn't know of anyone in her social circle who only used cocaine. She said: 'I didn't know anyone who only did cocaine. We tried to go out without it before but then after a few drinks you think "let's get the gear in"'. Camilla has been lucky and has worked hard to battle through her addiction although admits it hasn't been easy. She said she had nothing after coming out of The Priory and knew she had to start her life again but she said, she managed it. 'That's what I did and I would say when I started I was a bit like Bambi, falling down but I was able to build that strength and it stopped me going back to the old life.' She also explained that it's difficult to stop people turning to drugs but admitted the prevention is better than the cure. 'The first line of cocaine is already a step too far,' she said. But for those who have already tired the drug and are feeling a dependence on it, Camilla urged them to ask for help 'before it's too late'. 'It will kill you. 'If not directly through the substance itself, indirectly through the chemical imbalance in your brain which will make you do dangerous things and/or severely depressed which leads to suicide.' The business owner added cocaine is easy for people to take and is seen as a natural follow on from alcohol but not as extreme as drugs such as heroin. And Camilla placed the increased usage on an a lack of happiness among users who are chasing a dopamine hit but who should instead be discussing their mental health. A recent study has revealed that drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales have skyrocketed over the last 30 years and have now reached a record high. Over the last three decades, deaths related to drug usage have risen exponentially, fuelled by a huge rise in the number of fatalities involving cocaine with the tragic death toll rising for the 12th year in a row. Deaths related to cocaine usage have risen by 30 per cent since the early 1990s and fatalities were almost ten times higher in 2023 than they were just a decade earlier in 2003. In that time, thousands of people have tragically lost their lives and experts have explained the reason behind it includes an increase in purity and a greater social acceptance of its use.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Powys County Times
Ex-GP did genital exams because he was ‘haunted' by patient deaths, court hears
A former GP accused of conducting unnecessary genital examinations on nine male patients was 'haunted' by earlier misdiagnoses, a court heard. Gregory Manson, 56, is alleged to have carried out genital exams even when patients came to him with complaints of coughs, headaches, back pain and knee sprains. His accusers said they do not recall him wearing gloves, offering a chaperone or giving 'proper explanations' for the examinations before they took place. On Monday, Manson told jurors at Canterbury Crown Court that his medical examinations were 'not sexually motivated at all' and were instead based on ruling out rare diseases which he had misdiagnosed in the past. He worked as a GP between 1994 and 2017, and also worked as a GP trainer, programme director of GP training and GP appraiser for the General Medical Council. Manson, of Tower Way, Canterbury, denies 18 offences of sexual assault and six of indecent assault in respect of nine alleged victims, including two young teenagers. Many of these examinations relate to what the former GP calls 'well person checks' which were offered to new patients at the surgery he worked for, the court heard. Giving evidence, Manson said: 'Part of your work as a GP is disease prevention and health promotion, we do that all the time. 'You're looking for any pathology or disease that may be asymptomatic that somebody is not necessarily aware of.' Professor of Forensic Medicine and GP, Ian Wall was 'surprised' that Manson considered testicular examination part of a new patient check during his review of Manson's medical notes, jurors have heard. Manson added: 'When I worked in South Africa particularly in many hospitals that didn't have facilities to further investigate things, your training was very much in examination and being thorough with examinations. An MRI was not available in Soweto.' He told the court about his early work as a GP and why losing patients had made him conduct more 'thorough' investigations. The former GP said that every doctor remembered their 'first death', and his was a man who had arrived with what was initially thought to be a stomach ulcer but was in fact an abdominal aortic aneurysm. 'When you have experiences like this and you examine an abdomen you are haunted,' said Manson. Pushed on how rare the diseases he was testing were, he said: 'You never ever want to miss that and never ever want that to happen again.' He added that a 'comprehensive' abdominal exam would involve a genital exam. One of Manson's alleged victims claims the former GP pulled down their underwear without their consent. Asked if he could think of any occasions when that happened, he said: 'I can't think exactly of any, if someone had indicated that they were happy to proceed, I would never do it without someone indicating that they were happy for that to proceed. 'I can't remember each and every single examination that I ever did because I did so many. All I can say is that there may have been times where I didn't get it right. 'Maybe I assumed that people understood when they did not.' The prosecution earlier noted that 'many examinations he performed were not medically justified' and that other GPs would not have carried them out. 'In truth Dr Manson took frequent opportunities to examine patients' genitals not because he needed to, but because he wanted to,' said Jennifer Knight KC, prosecuting. Asked his reasons for the exams, Manson said: 'Not sexually motivated at all – the motivation each time is based on your clinical judgement at the time when dealing with the symptoms that a patient has before you.
