The Accident
On a wintry June night in 1978, when I was 17 years old, I was struck by a passenger car at Top Ryde – a suburb in Western Sydney.
I was hurled forward onto the pavement directly on my head.
I lay in a coma for two months, surviving numerous surgical operations on my brain and left arm.
During these procedures I technically died several times but finally came through many infections, brain swelling and other complications to find I had lost the ability to walk, talk, read, eat or drink.
I was left with a severe speech impediment in addition to irreparable nerve damage to my left arm.
A New Life
I concluded I would never get a job or lead a normal life. I would never play lead guitar in a ‘rock band’, I could not achieve my ambition of being an electrical engineer. Many other childhood hopes, dreams and aspirations were doomed.
I was nursed constantly by my mother Rosa, and eventually discovered the power of a positive mind in my endeavours to re-learn all the capabilities I had lost after the accident.
Rosa, a proud mother, described me as a “real battler, who would not give up on his objectives”.
I decided I would have to strike out on my own as an entrepreneur. I had holidayed in the city of Perth, enjoying the ambience and the weather, so I convinced my family to accompany me there to support me in opening a successful and thriving photographic studio called “Le Ocol Studios”.
A New Career
Eventually I visited the United States and met Carol. We were married.
Carol encouraged me to tell my story via public speaking. Doing all the market contact work, she enabled me to secure speaking engagements in the USA which gave me the confidence to undertake a full-time career in Inspirational/Motivational Speaking.
These engagements were profitable and led me back to Australia, but unfortunately Carol decided to leave me and returned to the United States.
Having lost the marketing support provided by Carol, I turned to working in the role of a Comedian. I received help from several friends including Jeff Fenech, the champion Australian boxer. For a few years, this initiative provided me with a comfortable income, creating comical characters like “Ivan the Cerebral” and performing at various Sydney clubs and festivals.
