NIKEA Short had the world at her feet and a dream to pursue a career in fashion design.
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The former Albury woman had been a regular entrant in Fashions on the Field competitions at the Albury Gold Cup, designing her own headwear and outfits.
She had modelled at the annual Albury bridal fair and was an entrant in the Miss Albury-Wodonga Quest.
By September 2013 she was well on her way to achieving her dream.
After completing her HSC at Murray High School in 2005, she had moved to Geelong to study fashion design for two years at the Gordon Institute of TAFE, and then landed a job in Melbourne with an Australian fashion label, working with its web store and design team.
She had just started dating the man who would become her fiance, Edward, after their long-term friendship turned to romance.
But a serious car accident on September 26, 2013, while she was on her way to work in Melbourne, has shattered those dreams and has forced the once active and outgoing young woman to slow down as she battles the chronic pain that is the legacy of the neck and spinal injuries she suffered in the crash.
But most devastating has been having to set aside her independence and ask for financial and physical help from family, friends and the wider community.
This week Nikea launched a campaign on the personal fund-raising website gofundme.com, aiming to raise $50,000 towards day-to-day expenses including food, bills and upfront medical costs, while she recovers from injury and doctors can give her a prognosis on her chances for a full recovery.
While the Transport Accident Commission pays a small percentage of her wage while she is unable to work, it is sufficient only to cover her rent, and a financial compensation settlement may be 10 years away.
Nikea said her family had been supportive but she believed she had relied on them too much in the 15 months since the accident and a friend had suggested turning to social media to seek assistance.
“I like to be independent; I have always worked hard and never asked my family or anyone for money but I am at a point where I can’t ask them for more,” she said.
“I sat down with my partner and said ‘I’ve got to do this’ and he has agreed.
“It was getting to the point where I have been selling my things to pay the bills.”
Nikea also dreams of having the money to design and make her wedding dress and allow her and Edward the opportunity to get married after they became engaged earlier this month.
On the day of the accident, Nikea can remember being stopped at a set of traffic lights on her way to work when she looked into the rear vision mirror and saw a truck headed towards her car.
“He wasn’t going to stop and I was thinking ‘I’m dead for sure’,” she said.
“I remember screaming and the sound of metal and glass crashing.
“I had braced myself for the impact, holding tight to the wheel and pushing my feet to the floor.
“I was lucky I had been fit and strong at the time.
“The doctors told me I was lucky not to have broken my neck or to have ended up in a wheelchair.”
The truck had hit Nikea’s car at 80km/h, forcing her head to ricochet backwards and forwards against the steering wheel and pushing her car into four others that were stopped in front of her at the lights.
As a result of the collision, Nikea has damage to the C3-4 and C5-6 facet joints in her spine and she’s unable to turn her neck or lift her arms above her head.
She said Edward had to help her with tasks such as washing her hair; she is unable to drive or work and has to wear a brace while travelling to ensure her neck stays still to prevent any further pain.
While she once regularly returned to Albury to visit family and friends, Nikea said her injuries meant travelling was increasingly difficult and she had become more isolated having to stay in Melbourne.
“Albury will always be home but I have to stay here to be close to the doctors I am seeing,” she said.
“The most important thing is my health.”
Nikea said she had to deal with the psychological struggle of dealing with the post-traumatic stress disorder she now suffered as a result of the accident, combined with the ongoing chronic pain.
Her hopes now lie with a procedure recommended by a pain management specialist which will see her receive infusions of ketamine aimed at calming her nervous system, combined with physiotherapy.
She has waited eight months for the procedure but hopes it can happen soon.
“The doctors can’t guarantee I will get back to full-time work,” she said.
“But I hope and pray there’s a chance.
“I miss my friends and family greatly, more than they know but it’s hard to express how I feel.”
To help Nikea go to gofundme.com/hcfnhk.