Kingaroy mother-of-three Karen Quickenden faced a life-threatening situation when she suffered a severe stroke while driving home from work two years ago.  

The dramatic sequence of events began when local police spotted her vehicle swerving erratically. Recognising the danger, they intervened by using their patrol car to bring her vehicle to a stop. 

With Karen unable to move or speak, emergency services were called to cut the 42-year-old free from her car and rushed her to Kingaroy Hospital.   

From there, doctors confirmed Karen had experienced a stroke and she was flown to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital for an emergency clot retrieval procedure, which took place eight hours after the initial stroke.

“I had no idea the stroke was coming, until it happened - I was thinking ‘what is wrong with me’. I couldn’t speak or move,” Karen remembers.  

Karen's stroke caused damage to the left side of her brain which has affected her right arm and leg.   

“My oldest daughter Tamisha, she just turned 30, and she sat at that hospital nearly every day. Dannica is my next oldest and she has three girls and I remember her bringing my youngest granddaughter in who would hold my hand.” 

Karen’s youngest daughter, Maralee, was just 16 at the time. Karen admits it was heartbreaking to be unable to support her teenager during such a challenging period for the family. 

“My older daughters live in Brisbane and on the Coast, so Maralee had to grow up very quickly unfortunately, and she took over looking after our property in Kingaroy.”  

After three weeks of initial treatment, Karen was transferred to Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) - her journey to recovery began that day and has been ongoing for the past two years.  

She spent two months as an inpatient at SCUH undergoing extensive rehabilitation, including speech therapy, physiotherapy, and other essential services. 

“Every day I would drag myself out of bed – I was determined to regain my life.”  

Karen has worked tirelessly to regain her ability to walk and talk and remains hopeful to achieve more movement in her right arm and fingers.  

Her goal is to be able to pick up toys to play with her youngest granddaughter. 

Karen’s health journey has deeply impacted her family.   

Her youngest daughter Maralee received the call about her mother while at school. 

“When I saw her in hospital, it was really shocking,” Maralee recalls. 
"I thought I was losing her.”  

Tamisha says she was told her mother had a car accident and it wasn’t until later that she found out the stroke cause the car accident.  

“Mum was in her 40s, she’d never had any major health issues – it was definitely a shock,” Tamisha says. 

“The thing that upset me the most was that she was such an independent person and then seeing her sitting in a hospital chair not even being able to cry properly, it was heartbreaking.  

“My biggest fear was if she was never going to speak again – it’s almost like a jail sentence in your own body. 

“You do wonder if it would have been different, if she was closer to a major city when this happened – time is of the essence.”  

Karen is bravely sharing her story to highlight the critical need for the proposed Biplane Unit at SCUH, which is one of the busiest stroke wards in Queensland.   

This unit, which Wishlist aims to fundraise $600,000 for, will be vital in treating strokes and brain aneurysms, saving the burden of disability for countless people in the future. 

“If this is available to more people to increase their chances to returning to a normal life – it’s only positive,” Tamisha adds.  

For now, Karen continues her path to recovery, surrounded by her family and the dedicated health heroes who have supported her each step of the way. 

To support Wishlist and help fund the Biplane Unit for the benefit of stroke patients, make a tax-deductible donation here or phone 5202 1777.  

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW