For almost two years Brisbane’s Suzanne Mulligan did not go into her kitchen or cook a single dish.
Not because she’s averse to cooking and creating dishes – quite the opposite.
Suzanne had begun to experience a gradual loss of mobility in her lower body from around July 2008, when she noticed a strange sensation in her legs while jogging.
Within two months Suzanne had to use a wheelchair. After months of tests both locally and interstate, doctors finally discovered after several Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs) that Suzanne had sustained spinal cord damage at the T4 level (from the waist down).
In what doctors continue to call a “medical mystery” no-one can say how Suzanne sustained this damage.
“There was no event or trauma involved, the injury has happened without my knowing,” Suzanne said.
“The past few years have been hugely challenging as I’ve had to learn to accept that I can no longer walk and what this means in terms of losing aspects of my independence, and re-learning things that used to come so naturally.”
Suzanne said even simple tasks that most people took for granted such as putting on shoes and socks or showering could become monumental challenges.
“Cooking became something that I thought I could no longer do,” she said.
“And because I’d been an enthusiastic cook and would always experiment with different recipes, it was really difficult to hand over the cooking reins to my husband Terry.
“He has been doing so well though and he’s actually learned a lot about cooking during this period.”
However, just last month Suzanne was inspired to ease her way back into her kitchen after a visit from Spinal Injuries Association Peer Support Officer Katie Franz.
Katie, who sustained paraplegia in a car accident 15 years ago, showed Suzanne how she cooks in her kitchen, by preparing food on a cutting board on her lap, and how she situates utensils and ingredients in easy-to-reach places on her kitchen bench.
“When you first sustain a spinal cord injury, it takes years to learn what your new capabilities are now that you use a wheelchair,” Katie said.
“Because I’ve been using a wheelchair for almost half of my life, I have the benefit of experience and can share that with clients like Suzanne, who are still adapting to the changes in their body and how to negotiate their environment.”
One of Suzanne’s first forays back into the kitchen was to bake cupcakes for a food photography competition she entered through her local camera club.
Suzanne’s photograph was awarded an Honour in the competition, which she said had further cemented her commitment to return to her love of cooking.
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