Leeann’s Success Story: Life-Changing Support from APM New Zealand

Leeann doesn’t remember her childhood.

“I can't tell you about my childhood because I don't have one,” she says.

“I have what they call severe retrograde amnesia, so I do not remember anything from the age nine back. Life starts at nine.”

That was the year Leeann was hit by a car. The accident left her with twelve impairments—disabilities that shaped every part of her life from that moment on.

Born and raised in Dunedin, she grew up navigating a world that didn’t always understand her needs.

“I don't know any life without disabilities,” she shares. “Things had been quite bad for a while. I wasn't getting out of bed. I had no inclination to do anything. I was pretty down.”

For years, Leeann lived in survival mode.

Then she was referred to APM through the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation).

That’s when she met Shona, an occupational therapist with APM.

Shona saw Leeann not just as a client, but as a person with untapped potential.

“If people can't get out of bed in the morning because they can't go to bed at night, their whole life is topsy turvy,” Shona explains.

“So, it's addressing: what is it you want to get out of your life? What do you want to put in your day that you're not doing right now? And what are the barriers to that?”

For Leeann, those barriers were deep-rooted.

“Because hers was in childhood,” Shona says, “she didn't have a lot of the milestones, the building blocks, the foundations to support function from. So, it was filling in all those gaps.”

Two women walking and smiling outside a cathedral

A woman sits at a radio microphone and smiles at a person at a control deck

That support marked a turning point.

The team of APM professionals rallied around Leeann, helping her rediscover her strengths and reimagine her future.

With their support, after nearly 40 years post accident she began to make positive, meaningful, long-term sustainable changes that have have allowed her to be more productive in her life and also pursue a long-held dream: raising awareness about adult survivors of childhood brain injuries.

Through Brain Injury Otago, Leeann secured funding to create a podcast series with Otago Access Radio exploring this often-overlooked experience.

“I wanted a way to get some attention in the area of adult childhood traumatic brain injuries,” she says.

“To begin to tell the story of those of us who live in that sphere of life and hopefully lead to some further research down the track.”

Shona and Paula from APM helped Leeann in the planning stages, offering guidance and encouragement.

Two women smile and talk while looking and holding a green book.

A woman stands smiling outside infront of a wall mural

The podcast became more than a project—it became a platform for healing and advocacy.

“Kind of starts with her introducing herself in her own experience,” a colleague explains, “and then delves more into what is it like not only for me but what is it like for people like me in my situation.”

Leeann’s voice, once quieted by trauma and isolation, now resonates with purpose.

“As an adult who has a childhood brain injury, I don't go through rehabilitation, I go through habilitation,” she says.

“I'm now 51 and I’m now able to get on with life.”

Her podcast is just the beginning. “I'm really proud that I've created a podcast series,” she says. “And I hope this is a stepping stone for more to come.”

You can listen to Leeann’s podcast at Headstrong, Otago Access Radio and wherever you get your podcasts.

This represents just one person's journey and experience. The use of APM's services should not replace advice or treatment from a registered health practitioner, nor should it delay or postpone seeing a health practitioner about a health problem. APM Workcare Ltd, New Zealand wide

Leeann and APM New Zealand

Leeann doesn’t remember her childhood.