Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

This week on One in Five, we meet Helen Grice whose life changed abruptly on February the 22nd last year.

The chimney of her Christchurch home fell through the roof and onto her, breaking her back and leaving her paralysed from the chest down.

After months of rehabilitation, Helen returned to live with her husband and children but found that the family dynamics had changed.

She talks to our South Island producer, Katy Gosset, about both the challenges of living with a disability but also the mental adjustment of slotting back into a family that had to cope while she was away.

Helen says, in her absence, her children became more independent and she has had to find new ways of relating to them.

Physically she has also had to deal with Type Two Diabetes, developed due to inactivity.

However she has opted not to dwell upon the past and what she calls "if onlys" but instead remains determined to make the most of whatever opportunities lie ahead.

Produced by Katy Gosset for Radio New Zealand