Radiokop accident victim making remarkable recovery one year from incident

A soul refusing to be shackled can defy the mechanics of the brain.

“I just want to get my body back,” are the words of a 35-year-old man a year on from an accident that reshaped his world. Given little chance of surviving in the days and weeks after being pulled from a burning motor vehicle, Shaun Majendie has made a recovery that revives belief in the divine and demonstrates the irrepressible potency of the human spirit when given the right motivation.

Having lived an active lifestyle as well as being the life of the party, Shaun and his family’s lives were plunged into darkness on October 9, 2022. Shaun was a passenger in a vehicle that struck a tree in the early hours of the morning. He spent the next 50 days in an induced coma, while his family posted heart-wrenching updates that documented his complications with a pseudo aneurysm, a collapsed lung and tracheotomy surgery.

After winning his fight to stay alive, Shaun arrived home 89 days after the accident. Wheelchair-bound, in nappies, and requiring 24-hour care, Shaun and the family dug deeper and have made ever-improving progress. Their Monday to Thursday routine now features four separate physical and mental therapists with Fridays spent at a social therapy centre mingling with others who have suffered brain damage.

Hyperbaric sessions, which flood the brain with oxygen, have been credited with Shaun’s improved lucidity. Now able to better articulate his thoughts, he is slowly piecing together his memories. Recalling little of the incident or the aftermath, one out-of-body memory does come to Shaun.

“I could feel myself go upstairs and someone was standing there and they told me ‘Shaun, it’s not time yet, you have to stay’.”

Shaun’s aspirations have also grown and while driving and returning to work are distant, hitting the gym has been immediately attainable. His mother Sharmaine had previously needed to assist him in the shower and when he asked to go back to the gym, Sharmaine said it could be done when he could shower himself.

“It was almost the next day when we woke up and he was at the foot of our bed saying he was showered and ready,” she laughs.

Sharmaine delayed the return for roughly a month to ensure he was ready but Shaun has now been going to the gym three times a week, slowly regaining his characteristic bulk.

“Shaun is the kindest, happiest person ever. We speak to him as a normal person with no special treatment. We put goals in front of him and he stays driven to achieve them. He has also kept his sense of humour too,” said Sharmaine.

Despite his remarkable progress, the journey is far from over. The family began a rehabilitation fund soon after the incident and has contained fundraising through various events. Knowing the money will run out eventually, Sharmaine is reluctant to bombard the internet with requests and is currently negotiating a long-term income stream via merchandise profit sharing.

“The news has never been good but I’ve kept saying watch this space. Until someone slaps me down, I won’t be stopped,” said the passionate mother.

Shaun showers his parents with love for their dedication and every social interaction brings him a step closer to normality.

“I’m lucky, I have got a good home base,” said Shaun. Visibly wrestling with the gears of his mind that don’t want to engage yet, but with eyes brightened by the opportunity to live, Shaun senses a vibrant destiny, adding, ‘God’s got my back, so I’ll be okay’.