Rachael was born with velo cardio facial syndrome. At birth she had a Pulmonary Atresia and required heart surgery to put in a shunt. Rachael’s condition means she doesn’t get the required amount of haemoglobin in her blood. As a consequence she can only walk 312 meters before stopping for a brief rest. Rachael also has Scoliosis and had Isola rods placed in her back. “After I left school I spent most of my time at home. I wanted to work and challenge myself but the idea terrified me,” says Rachael. “Then, my uncle put me on to Orana. Working at Orana has changed my life. I’m more confident, and even my maths and spelling are better. My family has noticed the change in me too, laughs Rachael.” “And, it’s not just my self-esteem that has improved. I used to visit my cardiologist every three months, now I only visit once a year.“ With her new found confidence Rachael is considering taking on new challenges.
I would like to go to TAFE and do a Certificate 4 in Disability,” says Rachael. I’d also like to get my driver’s licence. That would give me some serious independence.”