Jess’s Story

The more we’re supported, the more we can help people like Jess.

Just over a decade ago, Jess described herself as an average happy-go-lucky girl in her early 20s. Jess loved running, bike riding, and competing in marathons and was studying at TAFE to become a support worker.

In an instant, her life changed. Jess was diagnosed with a devastating infection which resulted in several surgeries and ultimately the amputation of both of her legs above the knee.

When Jess came home from rehab, she hated the fact that her mum was responsible for managing and doing her care for her, including her bowel and bladder care and her showering.

Jess’ relationship with her mother had changed so dramatically since she stepped in as her carer, and Jess longed for the days that she could just be her mum again.

The decision to seek a support worker has made a world of difference for Jess and her family, “People sometimes don’t realise how hard it is to live with any type of disability and the support that Independence Australia give us, helps us live a great quality of life.”

Having a support worker around to help Jess with her care needs gave Jess’ mum a chance to resume her role as a mother to Jess and support her in other ways.

There’s something special about being a social enterprise. The income that we generate from our growing businesses through the purchase of our products, support and care or donations is invested back into funding vital services that we provide to help people living with a disability.

Whether you’re our customer placing a healthcare product order, our client receiving in-home care visits or even an employee coming to work, we’re all making a difference together.

Watch Jess’ story to see the impact that our social enterprise has had, helping to give people living with a disability a greater quality of life.

None of this would be possible without your support.

To support Independence Australia, please visit our donations page.