You’d think being a full-time teacher would keep you busy enough. But, for the bundle of energy that is Sarah Choat, another challenge (or three) is the order of the day. So she’s also in the fashion business, a YouTube influencer and a 5.00am gym-goer. Or at least she was, until a ruptured right Achilles made everything so much harder. It meant she couldn’t drive her normal car and, with a typical Achilles recovery time stretching for weeks, she simply had to find a way to keep her many plates spinning.
At first she used ACC-funded taxis, but the pick-ups were not always reliable, especially for her early-morning gym sessions. She also had to rely on friends and family to get to school, run errands and pick up fabric for her clothing business. It really didn’t seem sustainable. Sarah worried that her 1970s-inspired fashion label, My Keeper Clothing, was going to suffer, and she was going to lose her independence. With taxis around the greater-Auckland area often hitting three-figure sums it was also costing ACC a small fortune.
However, being the force of nature that she is, she kept at it with all her might, making full use of her ACC knee scooter to whiz around school and her fabric suppliers. Until one of her clients, who used to work for Freedom Mobility, told Sarah about a better ACC transport option: a hand-control car.
Sarah contacted us and we advised her how to apply to ACC. Her ACC consultant quickly agreed that the car would be a better, more cost-effective option for the rest of her Achilles recovery time.
Cue Frank, one of our most senior instructors, who delivered the car to Sarah’s home and took her through a lesson in how to drive it using the hand controls. According to Frank, Sarah picked it up quickly and was soon confident controlling the car. “I could now drive places, with just my hands,” says Sarah, excitedly. “Mind blowing. Officially, absolutely mind blowing! The difference it made was priceless.”
Sarah could now ensure she got to school on time, and continue her pre-dawn gym sessions to support her Achilles recovery. Importantly, it made it so much easier to keep her business running by driving herself to pick out fabric and supplies. It also took away the stress of relying on others to help her get around. She was free and mobile–just the way we like it.
Sarah was so happy with the solution that she made videos for Freedom Mobility and her online community. She explained how the hand control car worked and how it helped her stay active and independent during her recovery.
For Sarah, this ACC transport solution wasn’t just about travel, it helped her maintain her routine, stay positive and support her recovery, while managing both her job and her growing business.
If, like Sarah, you have a busy life to maintain and succumb to an injury that stops you driving, talk to us. If you meet the criteria, ACC has the flexibility to approve a hand-control car and we’ll support you through the process.
