A second chance (Profile of a UOW student)

Blurred figures speed past the car window as fast as John Cooper* had ever experienced on November 24^th 2006 right before a late night accident altered his life forever.

Cooper had just finished his last exam in the HSC and was picked up by two good friends to celebrate at a local hang-out by the river with a group of year 12 graduates.

Cooper had been the responsible one in school who would always look out for his mates and given advice to those in need. He didn't drink much alcohol as he had always been more dedicated to sports.

John had been playing soccer since his father signed him up when he was old enough to join a team. He had already shown promise in sports growing up when playing with family. “Me and my older brothers would always play after school”.

John continued playing as fun turned to passion for the game as he grew. John captained his team in primary school 3 years in a row and continued his leadership role throughout high school. Being an athletic student he was always involved in sporting teams but soccer was always his priority.

Cooper had just turned 18 and despite his positive record, the joy of completing his school life was indulged with an alcohol fuelled state. “My friend driving wasn't blind drunk but I had had quite a bit to drink and I wasn't even watching the road at the time” said Cooper.

Their car slammed into a tree on the passengers side after the driver swerved to avoid a parked car. The driver and second passenger escaped with minor injuries and whiplash though John was not as lucky.

The force of the crash caused damage to his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Cooper had to undertake a knee reconstruction and continued rehabilitation throughout the following year.

Unable to participate in sports and continue his aspirations of professional soccer, Cooper fell into depression. After refusing counselling he became mixed with an unfavourable crowd and distanced himself from his family.

Early January of 2008 Coopers family reached out to Mark, a former friend of Cooper, after they had not seen or heard from him for over a week. Cooper was located and luckily had not fallen into addiction over the New Year celebrations.

Thanks to the efforts of his original school friends Cooper grew closer to his family throughout the following months. “I had been avoiding my family and kind of rebelling against them but I had never really fought with them that much because I was never home. They just wanted me to be home so they could help me with the mess I had gotten myself into.”

Due to his knee reconstruction Cooper was unable to reignite his passion for sport however after talking with friends about their experiences with University he was convinced to apply.

In 2009 Cooper was accepted at the University of Wollongong and began a course in exercise science. His interest in sports lead him to study and pursue a career in rehabilitation. Cooper is due to graduate after the Fall session of 2012.

*Due to drug abuse the subject of profile has chosen to remain anonymous