Stephanie's recovery and return to work story

Video transcript

(MUSIC PLAYS)

DESCRIPTION:

On a soft, pale grey background fading gently across the screen, darker grey text reads ‘This is Steph’s recovery and return to work story.’
Stephanie sits at a table in a brightly lit kitchen. Her blonde hair curls softly past her shoulders in waves. Stephanie wears a puffy, short-sleeved white shirt tied at the neck, and a smart watch. Her forearms are lightly tattooed.

TEXT: Stephanie, Café crew staff.

STEPHANIE:
I was at work at the cafe at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

DESCRIPTION:

Videos appear as Stephanie continues to talk:

The wind stirs the branches of leafy trees outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Coffee flows into a full cup.

The cup falls onto the floor, smashing into shards and spilling coffee across the tiles.

STEPHANIE:
I was making coffee 'cause we had a busy rush and I was making a long black and the cup started to overfill, so it was gonna pour all over me with the boiling water. So I jumped back and tore all the ligaments in my foot. I thought it was just gonna be a quick little surgery, repair the ligament, and I'd be back on my feet in six weeks, like all the AFL players were.

DESCRIPTION:

A man with a ginger beard helps Stephanie navigate the front steps of a house. Stephanie uses ergonomic crutches with forearm supports.

Later, Stephanie sits on the lounge with the man. She strokes the head of a black dog.

STEPHANIE:
I didn't want to take the medication that was on offer for CRPS, so learning to live in pain every day, that was... At first I thought my head was gonna just pop off, but you'd be shocked what the body can handle and it is what it is on your way to somewhere else.

DESCRIPTION:

Claire sits in a room with an anatomical poster of the foot and ankle on the wall behind her. Claire wears a black fleecy jacket with the red, green and blue CHG logo. Her auburn hair is pulled back from her face.

TEXT: Claire, Physiotherapist, CHG.

CLAIRE:
When I first met Steph, she was feeling pretty flat and pretty overwhelmed by the process and you know, the journey she'd been on so far.

DESCRIPTION:

In the gym. Claire squats down in front of Stephanie as the two have a conversation.

CLAIRE:
Pain was really high for her, and she'd already started sort of losing function, losing abilities to do things in the way that she'd previously done them. And she, you know, talked pretty openly about how her mental health was as well.

DESCRIPTION:

Lee sits at a table in front of a white wall. The wall is decorated with small to large pale-grey versions of interlocking horizontal swooshes. Lee wears a white, pink and purple checkered long-sleeved shirt. An open folder and pen sit on the table in front of Lee.

TEXT: Lee, Rehab consultant.

LEE:
Because really, in Stephanie's instance, that was the bigger issue. There was never any doubt that she wanted to work. It was more about, hey, is the right treatment happening here? And also, I understand this is a person from day dot that was saying I'm never taking any medication.

DESCRIPTION:

Videos appear as Lee continues to talk:

The bright glare at the end of a hospital corridor.

A man lies in a hospital bed, his eyes closed.  

LEE:
She actually went to a pain clinic and she observed people on high doses of medication and it basically frightened her.

STEPHANIE:
There's not one big challenge. There's a lot of little challenges that you have to deal with along the way and learn how to do things a little bit differently.

DESCRIPTION:

Framed photos propped on a table of two girls: a school siblings’ photo; at Sea World with characters from SpongeBob SquarePants.

STEPHANIE:
And I don't want my kids to look back on their childhood and just say, oh, my mum was seriously injured, so I had to find a way around to be the best mum I could be.

DESCRIPTION:

Videos appear as Claire talks:

Claire smiles down at Stephanie during a physiotherapy session. Stephanie reclines on a chair applying tension to a yellow resistance band looped around her left foot.

Later, Claire gently stretches Stephanie’s foot. Stephanie giggles.

Claire sits at a desk in her office.

CLAIRE:
I feel like with Steph it was a case of cheering her on from the sidelines, as well as treating the treatable things and controlling the controllable things with her. It was really about boosting her sense of confidence and also her understanding of what her physical abilities were.

STEPHANIE:
Because of the injury I had sustained, I couldn't return to my previous employment. So then Lee, my rehab specialist, helped me gain new employment as a support worker.

DESCRIPTION:

Stephanie continues to talk during video of her and Lee meeting in a room with a frosted-glass divider.

STEPHANIE:
And then he recommended that even though I had gained employment, I should do some studies at TAFE to get my qualification and it would better help me understand the role and what was required and how I could do that having the injury I had.

LEE:
I think Steph, for someone so young, considering she's 29 years old, knows herself really well.

DESCRIPTION:

Lee continues to talk during the montage.

Photobooth strips on grey carpet of Stephanie and her daughters smiling and mugging for the camera. A graphic of a diving penguin on the top strip.

A single image of the bearded man with Stephanie and the girls in the aquarium’s tunnel.

LEE:
She's a mother, two children. They're her focus and she wants to make sure that she's a good role model. So she's found every way she can to push forward in these circumstances.

CLAIRE:
I think the team aspect is really important and helpful and like building your team around you is super helpful.

DESCRIPTION:

A workout in the gym:
  
Stephanie sits on a chair aiming cross-punches at Claire’s focus mitts.

Stephanie performs bench presses under Claire’s supervision. Claire’s face breaks into a delighted grin.

CLAIRE:
And when you're managing a chronic condition, chronic pain, having people who understand where you've come from, who understand the complexity of things, who understand the fact that it can be pretty invisible sometimes, is really important.

STEPHANIE:
Being able to gain employment with an injury, I thought I wouldn't be able to, it was like the highlight of the year. I would like to tell you I was the same person I was before. I'm not, but I'm learning how to be me again. Just doing things that little bit different. And, you know, I get to do things with my kids now. You know, I think me and my partner had a date night for the first time, and it's just, like I said, it's doing things that little bit different to achieve where you want to be in life.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

DESCRIPTION:

Sunshine glistens on the horizontal red and lime interlocking swooshes of the ReturnToWorkSA logo.
The swooshes reduce in size, settling into place above the red ‘SA’. A faded reflection of the logo on the pale-grey background.
Grey text appears below the logo. First, ‘Return to work.’ Then, underneath, ‘Return to life.’ Both ‘work’ and ‘life’ are bolded and italicised.