TEN minutes is all it took to change Ipswich resident Drue Dakuna’s life forever.
What started as a fun night out with work friends ended in the 26-year-old becoming paralysed from the hips down with no feeling or movement below his waist.
A department manager at Coles Riverlink, he was out celebrating with colleagues last month when his legs suddenly gave way – just minutes after leaving a cabaret show.
“I had a few drinks, nothing unusual,” Drue said.
“As I stepped out of the car, my legs felt like jelly. I figured I was just a bit tipsy, but within 10 minutes, I couldn’t stand.”
As his condition rapidly deteriorated, his friends helped him stay upright until he collapsed and called his partner for help.
“When my partner arrived, he knew straight away it wasn’t just drunkenness,” Drue said.
This led to a hospital trip, waiting from 9pm until 4.30am to be seen by a doctor.
During that time, he lost all sensation in his lower body.
“I was sitting there feeling my body go numb, bit by bit,” he said.
“I had no idea that would be the last time I ever felt my legs.”
Doctors ran dozens of tests over the next two weeks before delivering a diagnosis: a sudden and unexplained loss of blood flow to Drue’s spinal cord had caused irreparable damage, with a portion of his spinal cord and nervous system having died.
“They told me it was incredibly unlikely I’d recover sensation or mobility again,” he said.
“I was alone when they told me. That moment changed everything.”
Drue said one of the hardest parts was breaking the news to loved ones.
“Saying the words ‘I most likely won’t walk again’ out loud to my partner, my family, my friends – it was soul-shattering. Watching it hit them … I can’t even describe it.”
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Drue remains determined to move forward with positivity.
Currently still in the neurology ward awaiting transfer to the spinal injury unit – a move that could take several months – he’s undergoing intensive rehabilitation and preparing for a future that will require major life adjustments.
As for recovery, he remains realistic, but hopeful.
“The doctors say recovery is unlikely, not impossible,” he said.
“I’m not delusional, I don’t expect to walk again. But I’ll keep trying. Maybe one day, something will come back.
“I’m so thankful for my support system – my partner, my family, my friends, and my work family.”
