Tonight I decided not to cook. I ummed and ahhed and then ordered a pad see ewe on Uber Eats.

After meeting the driver outside I then thought perhaps I should check my mail. Maybe I get mail at this new place! Hadn’t really thought about that. Haha

I got a wad of junk mail and then as I was coming up in the lift I sifted through to see a letter. It had the Government vibe of speeding fine.

But no! It was my NDIS approval!!!! See photo.

I was in shock and texted it right to my OT Janelle and Elise and called Elise to say - am I reading this right? Is this an approval? Or is this a “you’re through to next stage”?
It felt not legit as you’d think they’d want to call to deliver such wonderful relieving news to a human that’s suffering!!! But nope. Just a letter.

Turns out it’s probably been sitting in there since Monday! But kinda feels good to end the week this way.

And I can celebrate in person with Jen & Mick over the weekend!! Isn’t that good timing?

I also managed to get the Mater to let me in on Tuesday arvo. My email to them regarding my “concerned for my own welfare” might have been the rocket they needed to help me.

So it’s such a relief to have both things in train. Particularly knowing the NDIS isn’t far off so at the Mater we can be a bit more creative with my treatment options now knowing Physio and other supports are on there way. I’m hoping it means we can reduce my medicine based treatments and rely more on the Physio and supports instead.

I then will see Dr Reece later Tuesday to go over the Mater meeting and see where we land with their new ideas. Plus thank him in person for his part in the NDIS - he was very wrapped tonight when I let him know!

Thank you so much to the following people for all your help to get me through the NDIS system. It’s been a massive slog. We fought so long from the contemplation stage (or begging stage for Dr Heiner - he has been begging me since about 2015 to get supports to help keep my quality of life intact) to getting to the acceptance stage (thank you Gamze) to the applying stage, then through the decline stage, the review stage, the withdraw and then eventually reapply stage...so much work went into it.

Thanks to:
Dr Heiner and Dr Reece
Janelle my OT
Elise my #1 supporter and OT guru friend who supported me with Janelle and set me straight (in the only way a BFF can haha) on where I’m really at and what I do need to improve my quality of life
Paul & Ang & Kieran for the Physio and rehab work and letters
Gamze for her counselling work and letters
Cousin Lizzy for helping rejig letters the way the NDIS prefers to read them (insert eye roll at government bureaucracy)
Skye for her coaching and crucial pointers after decline #1
And everyone who has been the ear when I whinge and vent and have been stressed and felt disappointed and let down and hopeless and and and!

What a crew! We did it!

I feel like working part time at SOS can go another round now, and independent living just got a bit easier.

Blessed and grateful and relieved that the hard work paid off.

Not blessed that the stupid NDIS system meant I got declined a long time back and then deteriorated without the requested supports to the point of a spinal injury…. But silver linings are that the injury got me the SPS diagnosis… which in turn was an NDIS friendly “label” for all of my “functional” problems. Ticked their box.

Silver linings all over the shop. But geez, the longest and hardest detour to get there!! Let’s see where this relief (emotionally, financially and physically) takes me!!!

PS don’t you find it strange they don’t call with such good news? Isn’t that the one reward from their bureaucratic job? To let folks like me know relief is in sight?
I will never understand government world.