27-04-2025
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.
