30/01/2008

News Item

In the blink of an eye: lives changed by workplace accident fall

AFTER falling through a roof, Trevor McAlpine suffered a brain injury and couldn't remember life with his wife Sandra - but he could recall the names of the guys from his Aberfeldie football team.

The lives of the Gladstone Park couple changed in the blink of an eye after a beam gave way under Mr McAlpine's feet on a Dandenong rooftop last March.

The inability to control emotion is a characteristic of Mr McAlpine's brain injury, and at the mention of football, he contorts with unbridled pleasure.

The former plumber played with the North Melbourne U19s in the 1960s. He was in Aberfeldie's 1974 A-grade premiership side and Oak Park's team of the century.

Mrs McAlpine said it was unknown how long her husband of six years and partner of 12 lay injured before he was spotted by a passer-by.

He was resuscitated by paramedics and rushed to The Alfred hospital's trauma unit.

"I think the damage has really been done because he stopped breathing, so there was a lack of oxygen to his brain," Mrs McAlpine said.

"He says he has no memory of the past, of our life together, but the strange thing is, when we were at Aberfeldie, he knew all of the fellas down there."

Through the mist, Mr McAlpine's charm and humour still shine.

Asked his age, he convincingly shaved off a few years before he was exposed as a cheeky 61-year-old.

Mrs McAlpine described her husband as "such a wonderful person".

She said it was suggested that he be placed in a nursing home after his workplace accident. Instead, she decided to bring him home, and friends and family rallied around with emotional and financial support.

After being informed of Mr McAlpine's plight by his mates at Aberfeldie Football Club, Sportsbet donated $1000, which was placed on 2007 Melbourne Cup winner, Efficient.

The lucky bet raised $8000 for In the Blink of an Eye, a fund-raising trust fund established for Mr McAlpine's future medical care, rehabilitation and specialised equipment.

http://bringelly.yourguide.com.au/news/national/general/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-lives-changed-by-workplace-accident-fall/1172048.html