Company’s calling – Janine Shepherd

This week, Janine Shepherd joins us on Company’s calling. Some of you may know her name, particularly if you live in Australia, others are hearing her name for the first time.

Janine was an Olympic cross-country skier who was training on a bicycle, when she was run over by a truck. According to her website, “Her neck and back were broken in six places, and her right arm, collarbone and five ribs fractured. Her right leg had been ripped open; she had sustained head injuries and massive internal injuries. She had severe lacerations to her abdominal area and had lost five litres of blood.”

However, Janine is now a successful motivational speaker, an author and a pilot. Here is our interview:

Janine, do you remember the actual accident? If not, from what point do you remember?

I do not remember my accident. The medical team calls it post-traumatic amnesia but I have a different perspective on the events. I do not remember the accident because I had already started the process of leaving my body and therefore wasn’t able to recall what happened at the accident site. Although I didn’t have the typical near death experience i.e. the white light, I do recall a presence which stayed with me for most of the first week while I was in Intensive Care. 

For the first week I drifted between two worlds while my doctors fought to keep me alive. The desire to leave was incredibly strong as the physical pain was so intense, but something kept me connected to this world. I didn’t know it at the time, but my father sat by my bedside for that entire week holding my hand and willing me to live, and perhaps that was the lifeline that kept me here. 

Did you ever have experience with pain before the accident? If not, do you remember how you felt if you came across someone who was in pain? Was it something you thought about or was it not on your radar screen, so to speak?

My only experience with pain was associated with my sport and the injuries that one normally sustains in training. I had suffered from the normal range of injuries expected from elite athletes and had only just recently recovered from surgery for compartment syndrome when I had my accident.  

Do you feel your pain was well managed while you were in the initial stages of recovery? And in rehab?

I spent six months in a spinal ward and due to the extent of my injuries I was on strong painkillers i.e. morphine and pethadine for months. When I was on these drugs I was still in intense pain however the difference was that I just didn’t care about it anymore. It was extremely difficult weaning myself off these drugs and I did become dependent on them, however they were absolutely vital to me in the early stages of my accident. Once I left hospital I was off any strong drugs and have only needed them when I have returned to hospital for more surgery.

Did you feel that the medical staff understood your pain?

Overall the medical staff were understanding of my pain, however, there was an occasion when a new staff member decided upon herself that it was time I was weaned off pethadine despite it being prescribed by my doctors. I was in incredible pain and couldn’t understand why until I discovered she had reduced my dose. The doctor was called and immediately gave me the dose that I was written up for. I thought it was incredibly insensitive of her.

Do you have pain now?

Due to my injuries I live with a certain level of pain, however I have managed to work out ways to make it manageable.

When you were experiencing your worst pain, what worked for you and what didn’t?

I mostly manage my pain using natural methods that work for me. I find that when I stay active and flexible I am stronger and more able to cope with the demands on my body and my physical disabilities. I also practice tai-chi, and have regular massage and acupuncture treatments. However, I am a believer in complementary medicine and there are still times when I need assistance with my pain from mainstream medicine. 

Obviously, you had other issues to deal with besides pain, but what would you say played a larger role in how you felt during your recovery, your limitations or the pain?

I am not a believer in limitations, there are only constructs of the mind. Even when I was in a wheelchair I decided that if I couldn’t walk then I would fly, and for my first flying lesson I had to literally be lifted into the aircraft! I pursued this dream despite being in constant pain and having to undergo many operations, however my dream to fly helped me to overcome this.

Is there anything that, when you think of your treatment, you wish you had tried or wish you had tried sooner?

I believe I have tried everything that was available to me at the time. I am open-minded and believe that we need to take whatever action is needed to stay functional in our day to day lives. I am about to have a cortisone injection in my arm as I am suffering extreme pain from having to load up my upper body so much (due to the lack of strength in my legs) and all other avenues have been exhausted.

Is there anything you would change about your treatment, if you could?

No, I have dealt with everything in the best and most knowledgeable way I could at the time.

What would you tell someone else who had to fight like you did to get where you are now?

When they were ready I would tell them about my philosophy in life which is to ‘learn to love the hills.’ I always trained on the hills as an athlete and this shaped my outlook on life. I developed strength and discipline which I needed to face the huge challenge that lay ahead of me. The hills, or obstacles, that we face in life keep coming, and when we embrace them and learn to love them then anything is possible!

Is there anything you would like to add?

I believe my recovery was 10% physical and 90% mental. The battle is really in the mind and when you control your mind you control your destiny. I have done more since my accident then I ever would have done before. It was only when I was pushed to the very edge that I was really able to understand what I am capable of.  I now understand that my accident has been a gift as it has taught me so much about life and living.

Thank you Janine for sharing your story.

Is there anything you would like to tell Janine or to share with her?

Image: iStock

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