“People are so frightened of change. Nothing… Nothing… can improve unless you embrace change. Change needs to be embraced. Change is the most amazing thing you can find. Everybody can benefit from change." As an organisation, we are proud to support Michael in achieving his goals, and hope he continues to go from strength to strength. Today, Michael has rediscovered love. He has an "incredible relationship with his two children" and is still very passionate about personal learning and development. “I keep on putting myself in the deep end, and just keep learning.” Rural Lifestyle Options Australia offer our sincere gratitude to Michael for taking the time to share his story.
I missed out on a lot of things and my mental health declined dramatically. I went to many places seeking help, but couldn’t get any assistance, as there was no funding.” “Fortunately, the NDIS came on the scene, and I distinctly remember Julia Gillard standing up and saying “No Australian should have to live a lesser quality of life because of a disability, no matter how they acquired that disability” and I was actually applauding her, that was an amazing statement for me. It took some time to get it up and running, and there were a lot of teething problems as you could well imagine and the reason being that you cannot put disabled people in categories… as every person has a separate disability from the next person.” Prior to moving his NDIS package to Rural Lifestyle Options Australia, Michael had trialed two other NDIS providers, but felt they couldn’t offer him the “choice and control” the NDIS had promised. “They would change carers almost every single day. Nobody cares about your dignity; they just don’t worry about it. Through no fault of your own, you have lost control of your life. So, eventually I bailed from them and went to RLOA. They were actually quite amazing to begin with. I couldn’t believe the speed at which they worked at. I got to see Vicki and it took her two days to organise everything. I was in tears; I was just stunned.” “There have been a few carers I’ve had which have just been astounding… Knock, knock, knock on the door and the first thing he does is give you a massive smile. He greets you and shakes your hand before asking “What would you like to do first? What would you like to do today? What can I help you with?”" Over the course of Michael’s journey, he has stayed true to his goal of continuous education. Recently, Michael completed his studies to become a Justice of the Peace and is looking forward to working in practice to give back to the local community. For the past five years, Michael has been the Manager of the Body Corporate Committee, in the building in which he resides. These days, Michael’s fight looksmuch different, as he fights to achieve the best outcomes for the residents in his complex. “I’ve made massive changes. All for the better. I’ve managed to drop our expenditure by over $50,000 a year. I’m delighted with that. And as a result of this, the body corporate fees have never risen.” Change has always been welcomed by Michael, who has overcome a lot of adversity in his life.
Interviewed by Mr Nicholas Power, National Marketing Manager
“ The struggles that I've gone through my entire life, I now try to alleviate struggles for other people. Because I understand what it's like to be on your own, with no support.
”
Michael
We are proud to be supporting Michael to live a life of his choice.
www.rloa.org.au 9
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs