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Trina had just bought her first home when a stroke upended her life

By April Glover|

Before her life-altering stroke, Trina Stewart felt she had the world at her feet.

The Brisbane woman worked as an award-winning scientist and cancer researcher ¨C a "tiring" but rewarding career she had worked and studied hard to achieve.

It came to a halt in 2013 when Stewart was left with an acquired brain injury and needed a wheelchair after an unknown blood clot triggered a stroke.

Stewart tells 9Honey she had a blood-clotting disorder lying dormant until a stroke snatched away her independence.

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Trina Stewart
Trina Stewart worked as a cancer researcher before suffering a stroke. (Supplied)

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"I'd had surgery and when I got back home, I could not eat or drink anything. I was even throwing up sips of water," she explains.

"I got very dehydrated and, unbeknownst to me, I have a blood-clotting disorder which meant the immobility and dehydration made me develop extensive deep-vein thrombosis (DVT)."

A small blood clot from Stewart's DVT managed to creep up into her brain, causing her to have a bleed on the brain. The 53-year-old was still at home when she had a stroke ¨C but she didn't quite realise it at the time.

"I didn't even know that I'd had a stroke until I went to hospital to get on a drip and rehydrate," Stewart says.

"They pretty much saved my life. I don't know how much longer I would have been able to live in aged care."

"It wasn't until I fell out of the wheelchair out of the hospital that doctors noticed I had a left-side deficit."

Stewart's silent stroke shattered the life she knew and loved. Because she was now partially paralysed, the scientist required round-the-clock care.

After a four-month stint in the hospital, Stewart was faced with little options for her living situation.

Because of the lack of disability support services and funding in 2013, her only choice was to be placed in an aged-care facility at the age of 43.

Trina Stewart
The 53-year-old lived in an aged-care facility before she found the right housing. (Supplied)

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"I had to move into an aged-care facility simply to survive. That just brought my health, and particularly mental health, right down to the basement," Stewart recalls.

Stewart was already grieving the loss of her independence, so living in a facility that is catered to the elderly was just another cruel blow.

"I felt sadness, depression and grief. Grief of what I was losing and was unable to do."

Stewart says she was "saved" from her situation by an organisation called Youngcare.

Youngcare, a non-profit which helps build specialist disability accommodation, helped her move into a share-house with younger people living with disabilities.?

"They pretty much saved my life," Stewart says. "I don't know how much longer I would have been able to live in aged care."

After a little while living in a share-house, Stewart sought the help of Community Housing Ltd, who assisted her in moving into a one-bedroom apartment.

Stewart says regaining her independence after she had her life "struck down so rudely" was invaluable.

Trina Stewart
Stewart is also a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community. (Supplied)

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"I prided myself on being a strong, independent woman. I had just bought my first home," she says.

"I only got to live in that home for just a few months. So that was really hard."

Pride truly forms an important part of Stewart's identity. As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, she is a fierce supporter and defender of diversity, inclusivity and minority rights.

After moving into her new home, she then joined the Brisbane Pride Choir. Through this, Stewart proudly declares she has found her "people".

"After becoming disabled, I didn't know how I was going to connect with the community," she admits.

"It has been such a wonderful experience. I'm back with my people - and it's such a? good way of bringing light on the rainbow community and disability."

Trina Stewart
Stewart joined Brisbane Pride Choir and is hoping to travel to World Price next year in Sydney. (Supplied)

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Ahead of International Day of People with Disability on December 3, Stewart is proudly sharing her story of resilience and strength to prove to people that disability doesn't mean you can't be your true or best self.

"By embracing diversity, you can move humanity forward faster," she says. "People with disabilities are just people. They appreciate having choices in life and appreciate being treated like a regular person.

"We are still valued members of the community. We can be good friends, good workers and good performers."

Trina's next goal is to travel to Sydney in 2023 to attend and perform at World Pride with the Brisbane Pride Choir.

She is calling on the support of Queenslanders to get behind her as she fundraises for the next year to make it there and achieve her goal.

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