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Snakes are waking up. What should you do if you’re bitten? And what if you’re a long way from help?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hamish-bradley-2217649">Hamish Bradley</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alice-richardson-252002">Alice Richardson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/breeanna-spring-1545193">Breeanna Spring</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> From the creeks that wind through inner city Melbourne to the far outback in Western Australia, snake season is beginning. Over the cooler months snakes have been in state of <a href="https://youtu.be/FjXOzNjZjoU?si=Mc0eeayVk4VU9906">brumation</a>. This is very similar to hibernation and characterised by sluggishness and inactivity. As warmer conditions return both snakes and humans become more active in the outdoors, leading to an increased likelihood of interaction. This may happen when people are hiking, dog-walking or gardening. The risk of being bitten by a snake is exceptionally small, but knowing basic first aid could potentially save your, or another person’s, life. <h2>When a snake bites</h2> Snake bite envenomation (when venom enters the blood stream) is a significant issue in Australia, with <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja17.00094">3,000 cases annually and an average of two deaths</a>. Snake bite should always be <a href="https://stjohnwa.com.au/online-resources/first-aid-information-and-resources/snake-bite">treated</a> as a life-threatening emergency, and if you are bitten in rural or remote Australia, you will often receive an air medical emergency pick up to a regional or metropolitan hospital for advanced care. The effects of snake bites vary, depending on the species of snake and first aid measures undertaken. Australian <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/snake-bites">standard first aid guidelines</a> include: <ul> <li>calling for help (dialing 000 or activating an emergency beacon)</li> <li>applying a pressure immobilisation bandage</li> <li>resting.</li> </ul> <h2>Why pressure is important</h2> Snake venom is carried within the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-lymph-nodes-and-can-a-massage-really-improve-lymphatic-drainage-209334">lymphatic system</a>. This is a collection of tiny tubes throughout the body that return fluid outside of blood vessels back to the blood stream. Muscles act as a “<a href="https://theconversation.com/pneumatic-compression-therapy-can-it-really-help-olympians-or-you-recover-after-exercise-236228">pump</a>” to help the fluid move through this system. That’s why being still, or immobilisation, is vital to slow the spread of venom. A firm pressure immobilisation bandage, applied as tight as you would for a sprained ankle, will compress these tubes and help limit the venom’s spread. Ideally bandage the entire limb on which the bite occurred and apply a splint to help further with immobilisation. It is very important that the blood supply to the limb is not limited by this bandage. Never attempt to capture or kill the snake for identification. This risks further bites and is not required for specialist care. The decision about when to give antivenom (if any) is based on the geographical location, symptoms, the results of blood tests and discussion with a toxicologist. <h2>The tyranny of distance</h2> People living in rural and remote locations may also have limited access to health care, including access to ambulance services, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10871209.2020.1769778">snake bite first aid</a> such as bandages and splints, and to antivenom. Availability and the prompt use of antivenom have been identified as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590171022000558">crucial factors in the effective treatment</a> of snake envenomation – but not studied in detail. Over one year (as a component of a larger three-year study) we collected information on the pre-hospital care and in-flight care with the Royal Flying Doctors Service Western Operations. During this time, 85 people from regional, rural, remote and very remote Western Australia were flown by Royal Flying Doctor Service to hospital for suspected or confirmed snake bites. Reassuringly, only five of these patients (6%) ultimately received a toxicologist’s diagnosis of envenomation. <h2>To move or not to move?</h2> Troublingly, 38 (45%) of the 85 snake bite victims continued to move around and be active following their suspected snake bite. This raises questions about whether people lack knowledge of first-aid guidelines, or whether this is a consequence of being isolated, with limited access to health care. Either way, our as-yet-unpublished research highlights the vulnerability of Australia’s rural and remote people. All patients eventually received a pressure immobilisation bandage, with an average time from bite to application of 38 minutes. Three quarters of the patients made their way to health-care site by foot, or private car, arriving on average 65 minutes after the bite. <h2>What needs to change?</h2> Our results indicate rural and remote Australians need innovative health-care solutions beyond the metropolitan guidelines, particularly when outside ambulance service areas. Basic snake bite first aid education needs to be not only reiterated but also a pragmatic approach is required in these geographically isolated locations. This would involve being vigilant, staying safe and, when isolated, always carrying emergency technology to call for help. <hr /> The authors wish to acknowledge the efforts required through this research project as it continues, including by Fergus Gardiner, Kieran Hennelly, Rochelle Menzies, James Anderson, Alex McMillan and John Fisher. Hamish Bradley is an Aeromedical Retrieval Specialist and Principal Investigator in this project.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/234365/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hamish-bradley-2217649">Hamish Bradley</a>, Adjunct Lecturer, Anaesthetist and Aeromedical Retrieval Specialist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alice-richardson-252002">Alice Richardson</a>, Associate professor and lead of Statistical Support Network, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/breeanna-spring-1545193">Breeanna Spring</a>, PhD student, Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights, Faculty of Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/snakes-are-waking-up-what-should-you-do-if-youre-bitten-and-what-if-youre-a-long-way-from-help-234365">original article</a>. </div>

Body

"I was going to die": Grant Denyer's brutal wake up call

Grant Denyer has spoken candidly about a brutal wake up call he received from a doctor, when he was told he would die if he didn't start looking after himself. The TV host opened up on the Mental As Anyone podcast about how he would repeatedly push himself too far, and the moment he was forced to reevaluate his priorities. “I was skinny as a rake and unhealthy as hell and the doctor said my organs were running at about seven per cent,” Denyer told the podcast. “He goes, ‘if you don’t do something about this in the next four weeks, you’re going to die. It took two lessons for me to realise that I had to change my mindset and how I was approaching life and what I prioritised as important until I learned the lesson and I feel like if I hadn’t learned it the second time, it would have been fatal the third.” The first lesson came to Denyer in the form of a brutal car crash, and the second being chronic fatigue telling him his body needed to stop. “I broke my back, which I firmly now believe was not as a result of jumping seven cars in a monster truck but as a result of ignoring all my bodily signs, ignoring all the signals my body was trying to give me to slow the hell down,” he said. “You can’t sustain this pace and this grind and this aggressive chase for the next rung of the ladder, because you will die. As my body was deteriorating and my mental health was deteriorating, the monster truck crash came along to sit me on my arse.” Denyer also opened up about having to rely on prescription painkillers after his car accident, and how he struggled battling the pain and the effects of the medication. “It messed with me instantly and majorly,” he said. “To give you an idea, the moment you close your eyes at night time, you fall into your worst nightmares every time instantly and you can’t differentiate between dream and reality so when you wake up, you firmly believed what you have just dreamt, indeed actually just did happen. It was horrible.” "It is important to reflect on because it is the lows that make the highs and those euphoric moments feel high and that was one of the lows. I think in recognising (and) giving voice to those moments of low, that you can celebrate mediocre a lot more and enjoy that.” Image credits: Instagram

Caring

Elite school headmaster resigns in the wake of damning exposé

The headmaster at an elite Sydney school has resigned after a damning exposé about historic toxicity and sexism within the school. Cranbrook School headmaster Nicholas Sampson announced his resignation on Thursday night after an emergency meeting was called to discuss the serious allegations made by former staff members in an episode of Four Corners. In the damning episode, former staffers shared their experiences of the "toxic boys's club" and systemic sexism in the school, which the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/elite-school-teacher-blackmailed-for-naked-photos-by-student" target="_blank" rel="noopener">female teachers</a> allege was swept under the rug by the headmaster and his deputy. <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">In a statement to the school community on Friday morning, the council said, "The circumstances of the matter and subsequently Mr Sampson's failure to disclose the matter to the current School Council in the context of this week's ABC Four Corners broadcast, have led to an irrevocable breakdown of trust between the Headmaster and the School Council." <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;">"The School Council communicated this to Mr Sampson and this morning received his resignation." The council said it, "deeply regrets the distress to our students, our staff, our parents, our alumni and the broader Cranbrook family arising from the current circumstances". Sampson's resignation comes after revelations he kept a teacher on staff after discovering he sent multiple graphic emails to a former female student. The teacher in question was still working at Cranbrook this week and had recently been promoted. Cranbrook confirmed on Friday he is now on immediate leave pending an investigation. Image credits: Cranbook School

Legal

What kind of Australia will we wake up to if the Voice referendum is defeated on October 14?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-strangio-1232">Paul Strangio</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> It was Robert Menzies, father of the modern Liberal Party, who famously remarked: “to get an affirmative vote from the Australian people on a referendum proposal is the labour of Hercules”. Menzies knew this from bitter experience. The politician with the electoral Midas touch was the sponsor of three unsuccessful referendums. Most notable was Menzies’ (thankfully) failed 1951 attempt to win public support for amending the Constitution to grant his government the power to outlaw the Communist Party of Australia. On the Labor side of politics, the feat of constitutional change has been an even more unfulfilling exercise. The party has been responsible for 25 amendment proposals and only one has been successful. It has been a truly Sisyphean quest. If the opinion polls are to be believed, history is repeating itself with the impending Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice referendum. Since the middle of the year, those polls have been relentlessly moving in the wrong direction for the “yes” case. On the current trajectory, the Voice will secure less than 40% of the national vote and also fail to win the support of a majority of states. The frontier states of Queensland and Western Australia in particular are lost causes. As it must, the “yes” camp continues to evince optimism. Its advocates point, for example, to the relatively high number of undecided voters, hoping they break heavily in their favour. I fervently pray this optimism is well placed. Yet a prudent government would now be wargaming what to do in the scenario that the Voice is defeated on October 14. For Anthony Albanese, a “no” vote will present diabolically difficult challenges. As prime minister, he will be tasked with making sense of that result. His response will need to be finely calibrated, modulating the message to different audiences. First, and most importantly, he will have to devise a formula of words to console and soothe the Indigenous population, the majority of whom will likely feel that the rejection of the Voice is another in a long line of acts of dispossession and exclusion by settler Australia. Albanese has often likened the Uluru Statement from the Heart to a generous outstretched hand. He will not only need to explain why that hand has been spurned, but give cause why First Nations people should continue to keep faith with non-Indigenous Australia. He will have to provide reassurance that reconciliation endures as a genuine project. Both at home and abroad there will be those who view a “no” vote as having exposed a dark streak of racism in Australia’s soul. Albanese will feel obliged to seek to absolve the nation of that stigma. But given some of the more noxious attitudes aired during the referendum campaign, airbrushing racism out of the picture will not be easy. On election nights, leaders are typically magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat. There is a convenient myth about election results: that the punters always get it right. Albanese will no doubt have to publicly give lip service to that notion if the referendum fails. He will avoid recriminations, despite the sophistry and mendacity that has characterised the “no” side of the debate. In this way, he will play the role of healer-in-chief after the bitter divisions of the referendum campaign. What attacks there are on Peter Dutton for being a wrecker will probably be left to be made by other government members, but even these will have to be carefully framed so as to not indict all those who fell in behind the “no” cause. The larger dilemma Albanese and his government will face if the referendum is lost is where to next with the Uluru Statement agenda, to which the prime minister signed up lock stock and barrel on election night in May 2022. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MlulrQ1w9Zs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Most pressing will be the question of what happens to the idea of an Indigenous Voice to parliament. The most obvious fallback position will be a legislated rather than constitutionally enshrined Voice. The complication is that Dutton has claimed some of that space and Indigenous leaders have rightly portrayed a legislated Voice as a poor substitute because it can be repealed by a future government. Somehow a legislated Voice will have to be transformed into a palatable alternative. The Voice was the low hanging fruit of the Uluru statement when compared to treaty-making. The realpolitik takeout from the rejection of the Voice referendum will be that there is next to no chance of delivering on a national treaty in the short to medium term, especially if that were to involve some form of constitutional amendment. It would provoke an even more shrill scare campaign than the one we have endured over the Voice. In the absence of progress at the national level, it will be left to the states to advance treaty making and truth telling. The defeat of the Voice referendum may set back other elements of Labor’s vision for the nation. When he won office, Albanese appointed an assistant minister for the republic in a clear signal that a move to a republic would be a feature of his government’s longer term reform program. With the Australian public’s profound reluctance to embrace constitutional change demonstrated yet again, it will likely douse enthusiasm within the government for proceeding to a referendum on a republic in its second term. The idea will continue to drift, as it has since 1999. Another probable consequence of the loss of the referendum will be a narrowing of the priorities of the government. Labor hardheads will read that result and opinion polls showing a dip in the government’s support as evidence that voters are growing frustrated by what they regard as a straying from bread and butter issues. So, we are likely to see a less expansive government as it steers towards focussing chiefly on matters such as the economy, cost of living pressures and housing shortages. These, of course, are vital issues, but they will not stir the soul or etch themselves into history as would a Voice, treaty and republic. All of this seems a desperate shame. But it is the Australia we will wake up to the morning after October 14, if indeed the referendum goes down.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214359/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-strangio-1232">Paul Strangio</a>, Emeritus professor of politics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-kind-of-australia-will-we-wake-up-to-if-the-voice-referendum-is-defeated-on-october-14-214359">original article</a>.

Legal

"I can't wake Mummy up": Olympian dies at 43

A former Olympic swimmer has passed away suddenly at the age of 43 while on a trip with her family. Helen Smart, a British swimming champion who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was found unresponsive by her four-year-old daughter Heidi when she tried to climb into bed with her parents. Heidi then woke up her father Craig Smart, saying, "Daddy, I can't wake Mummy up," before Craig discovered his wife lying next to him dead. Smart's mother confirmed the news of her passing, telling the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12413199/Ex-Olympic-swimmer-turned-headteacher-Helen-Smart-dead-four-year-old-daughter-heartbreaking-video-shows-mother-paddleboarding-hours-sudden-death-aged-42.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MailOnline</a>, "Heidi had woken up in the night and tried to get into bed with her. She said to her daddy, 'Mummy won't wake up''. He said, 'Oh, she must be very tired Heidi - you go back to bed'." "He put the torch on and he said later that when he looked he could tell." Linda continued, "We're distraught. They don't know what it is but they think it must have happened shortly after she went to bed. She just died in her sleep." Just hours before her sudden passing, Helen and her family had been paddle boarding in the north of England, while on a trip for her brother Robert's 40th birthday. Helen had not been suffering with any illnesses her family knew of. Linda said, "At midnight, she went to bed telling me: 'I'll go to bed now mum as I know I'll be woken at 6am by Heidi. I just want to get some sleep in as I've had a long day.'" Linda was then woken by Robert at 4am who said, "Mum, dad, you need to keep up - we think Helen's died." Smart's father John said he and his wife "can't comprehend how she could simply go to sleep and not wake up." Helen became a school principal after her retirement from swimming and was enjoying her new life. Craig Smart took to her school's Facebook page to say his wife "loved the school, staff, children and parents so much." "She was so proud to reach her goal of being Head Teacher," he continued. "She used to say to me all the time she could never see herself at another school. She was Worsley Mesnes through and through! I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this!" "I hope you all keep learning like champions. Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets, take lots of photos, make memories and keep smiling just like Helen always did!" he added. Image credits: Twitter / Getty Images

Caring

Mum who gave birth during coma finally wakes

A woman from the US has woken up from a coma to discover her baby had been born. Jackie Miller James, a 35-year-old beauty and lifestyle influencer, was found found unresponsive by her husband in June, after she suffered a brain aneurysm while heavily pregnant. Jackie fell into a coma following the traumatic event, with her sister posting a fundraiser to help her family through the difficult time. “We are deeply saddened to share that our sister, Jacqueline (Jackie), was nine months pregnant and one week from her due date, when she suffered an aneurysm rupture, leading to severe brain bleeding and injury,” she wrote. “Jackie was found immediately by her husband, Austin, and was rushed to the emergency room and into an operation where they performed an emergency C-section and brain surgery simultaneously.” In a heart-warming update, Jackie's family has confirmed that she is awake and has has an emotional reunion with her baby girl. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuNV3eDJP3-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuNV3eDJP3-/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jackie Miller James (@jaxandrose)</a> </div> </blockquote> The family shared that Jackie's recovery is exceeding expectations, with medical professionals pleased with her most recent tests. “The doctors have been pleased upon her latest tests, numbers and evaluations, noting that Jackie is performing above expectations at this stage of her recovery and is progressing more with every passing day,” the post read. “Jackie and Austin’s baby girl is a constant source of light for the entire family and continues to grow into a happy, healthy, and animated little angel." “Despite James’s delicate state of health, her daughter was delivered safely, spending 12 days in the NICU before going home.” Since Jackie's incident, a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jackies-long-road-to-recovery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> campaign to support her and her family has amassed an incredible $500,000, as the funds will be allocated to cover the costs of Ms James’ speech therapy, physical therapy, necessary home modifications, and alternative therapies to address any lasting impairments she may face. Jackie's family thanked those who have donated for their support, writing, "The resources raised from the GoFundMe will allow us to continue to give Jackie the very best care and every chance at recovery. We are so appreciative of your donations, every little bit continues to help.” Image credits: GoFundMe

Family & Pets

Pop star discovered tragically dead at 33 in the wake of scandal

South Korean pop star Choi Sung-bong, who was caught running a notorious cancer scam has passed away at age 33. The Korean Times reported that Choi was found by police at his Seoul home on the morning of June 20. He was pronounced dead soon after. Authorities have reportedly ruled the singer’s cause of death as a suicide. According to the Hollywood Reporter, after years of online fame stemming from a 2011 performance on Korea’s Got Talent, Choi confessed he had tricked his fans into donating money to him after claiming he needed funds for cancer treatment. Choi had claimed he had been battling multiple forms of cancer to obtain the donations, however, his claims were later exposed as a hoax. He also claimed he had returned all donated funds from a false fundraiser. Choi later issued a grovelling apology and vowed to return all of the donations sent by his fans. One day before his alleged suicide, Choi posted a note on his YouTube channel apologising for “foolish mistakes” in the past, according to The Mirror. The chilling letter said he needed to "repay for his sins with his life” and showed the address of where his body would be after taking his life. “My body can be found at [his home location]. I don’t know how to write a final message, so I will just write it in my own style. Even though my breath may have stopped now, I have no regrets about the brilliant journey of my life. I have lived my life to the fullest and made efforts to find happiness every day. Age thirty-four," (as per Korean age system), he said. Choi was best known for competing in Korea’s Got Talent in 2011, coming in at second place. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIy99OT2BAQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIy99OT2BAQ"></iframe></a> A clip of him singing a cover of Nella Fantasia by Ennio Morricone quickly went viral online, thrusting him into the spotlight – with singing sensation Justin Bieber even acknowledging his talent. Image credit: YouTube

Caring

Groomsman’s heroic act in wake of bus crash tragedy

As news continues to break over the devastating Hunter Valley wedding bus crash, all eyes are on the survivors, and all thoughts go out to them and the victims, as well as their heartbroken families. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/more-than-we-can-bear-hunter-valley-bus-crash-victims-identified">10 people lost their lives in the tragedy, with dozens more rushed to hospital with injuries at every end of the scale</a>. And, as it has now been revealed, up to nine of them were members of the Warrandyte Cricket Club, all guests at the wedding the bus had been travelling from. One of those members was 27-year-old Brandon Stafford, a close friend and former teammate of the groom, Mitchell Gaffney. They had played together for the Victorian club while Gaffney and his bride - Maddy Edsell - had lived before making the move to the Hunter Valley region. Stafford was a groomsman for Gaffney’s big day, and according to his mother, a hero to his fellow bus passengers as well. As Nine News reported, Stafford had been onboard at the time of the crash, and had suffered a broken jaw. But it hadn’t stopped him from trying to help everyone around him, according to his mother. She explained that Stafford had called her around midnight to let her know there had been an accident, but that she had no further knowledge of what had transpired, or how bad the situation truly was. Despite his injuries, she said, Stafford went on to try and pull the other trapped and injured passengers from the bus, before he was taken to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital himself. Royce Jaksic, president of the Warrandyte Cricket Club, had previously informedThe Sydney Morning Herald that a number of their current players - and their partners - were on the bus when tragedy struck. He said that the group were “extremely lucky” to have escaped with their lives, and “some minor injuries - a broken jaw, a broken collarbone, things like that. “But, you know, compared to the 10 people that have tragically lost their lives, I think we’ve been blessed in this one. “If you do the maths, they’ve been extremely lucky. We’ve just got fingers and toes crossed that no one else loses their lives.” And when news of their involvement was shared to the club’s official Facebook page, support flooded in from neighbouring organisations, and concerned onlookers, with each offering their ongoing support, and thoughts in their difficult time. “My deep condolences to the Gaffney & Edsel families and to all the Warrandyte Community who are connected to the passengers in some way,” one wrote. “I acknowledge the loss, grief and trauma. I am sending my thoughts & prayers during this difficult time and comfort during the tough time ahead.” “On behalf of myself and the whole RDCA family we are devastated to hear this news and send our thoughts and immense support to all the families involved as well as everyone at Warrandyte Cricket Club,” said another. Images: 7 News / Seven, Facebook

Caring

Hotel guest wakes to find his toes in the manager’s mouth

A Hilton guest in Nashville has experienced the stuff of nightmares during his overnight stay, having woken in the middle of the night to find the hotel’s manager sucking on his toes. The now-former employee allegedly crept into Peter Brennan’s room using a ‘ghost key card’, according to Brennan’s lawyer, and a warrant has been placed for the arrest of the 52-year-old culprit, David Neal. Brennan is also looking to sue the Hilton Hotel where the incident occurred, WSMV have reported. “I woke up at about 5am,” Brennan explained, “and I was being sexually assaulted by a man who had broken into my room.” Metro police reported that Neal was the night manager at the establishment, and attorney Michael Fisher has claimed that Neal had access to hotel keys despite a criminal past. As court documents note, Neal was previously indicted by the Wilson County Grand Jury in 1996 for second-degree murder in relation to his roommate’s death. In 1997, a jury had found him guilty of manslaughter, while Neal claimed self-defence. And as WKRN have reported, for his 2023 toe sucking offence, Neal allegedly told investigators that he had gone into Brennan’s room without permission using a duplicate key because he could smell smoke and had wanted to check in on its occupant. Brennan, upon waking to find Neal there, confronted his assaulter immediately. He also recognised him as someone who had entered his room the previous day, alongside another hotel employee, to check out a TV issue with the room. "[I] instantly jumped up and was screaming,” he told News Channel 5. “Went into sort of fact-finding mode. ‘Who are you? Why are you in my room? What are you doing here?’ "I could see he was wearing a uniform, he had his name tag on. He was talking to me but not giving me any substantive answers." A spokesperson for the hotel directed the station to the hotel’s local manager for comment, though they refused to comment, telling them that “the safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations." Which can’t have come as much comfort to Brennan, who was trying to come to terms with what he’d been through, and noted that he was “having problems sleeping frankly, I’m going through some PTSD, talking to a therapist. "I still don’t really feel safe in my own home." Images: Getty

Travel Trouble

"Incredible memories": Inside the intimate wake for Jock Zonfrillo

The close culinary friends of Jock Zonfrillo have honoured the late chef with an "intimate" and "sombre" wake. Gordon Ramsay, Matt Moran, Shannon Bennett and George Calombaris all joined together at Melbourne's Di Stasio restaurant last Saturday night, as the group of friends shared stories about their fallen friend. Jock, celebrity chef and host of Masterchef Australia, was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/shattered-hearts-culinary-world-mourns-tragic-death-of-jock-zonfrillo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found dead</a> in hotel room in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton on April 30th, at the age of 46. As the famous chefs gathered to remember their friend, Ramsay told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12071289/Inside-Gordon-Ramsay-Matt-Moran-George-Calombaris-Shannon-Bennetts-wake-Jock-Zonfrillo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a> that there was a profound sadness to their get together. "The atmosphere was solemn," Ramsay said. "Intense. And then we had a couple of glasses of wine to relax and we started to think about those incredible memories." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr7Bte1vjl5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr7Bte1vjl5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Shannon Bennett (@chefbennett23)</a> </div> </blockquote> "It was sombre because every time we went off-piste we came back to some of the magical moments that we'd witnessed and been party to." Matt Moran went on to say how important their tight-knit clique had become in the face of such a tragedy. "I've got chef mates all around the world and we are a very small community and when something like that happens, as tragic as it is, it sort of brings us all closer together," he said. "It was all about the memories, which was great," Moran said. "It was more remembering and having a toast to him." "There was a lot of talk about being young chefs and growing up in that environment." Shannon Bennett summed up their evening with a series of photos on Instagram, writing the caption, "That hangover was for you mate. RIP brother". Image credits: Instagram

Caring

"It was a loud wake-up call": Aaron Sorkin's serious health scare

Award-winning screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin has revealed he suffered a stroke last November. In an interview with The New York Times, the 61-year-old, who holds three Golden Globes and five Emmys, said the experience was so intense it made him think he might never work again. "There was a minute when I was concerned that I was never going to be able to write again," Sorkin said. Sorkin revealed that the stroke occurred two months before rehearsals for his upcoming musical – a re-written version of Camelot. The West Wing creator said that the symptoms showed up in the middle of the night when he realised that he kept crashing into walls on his way to the kitchen. The symptoms carried on the next day, when he found himself continually spilling a glass of orange juice in his home office. When he went to the doctors they said his blood pressure was so high, he was "supposed to be dead". Sorkin also shared that he’s still suffering from the side effects as he hasn’t been able to taste food properly since the stroke. A month after the stroke, Sorkin struggled to type and was slurring his words, it’s only recently that he finally built up the coordination to be able to sign his name again. The director shared that the stroke has led him to make some major lifestyle changes. "Mostly it was a loud wake-up call," he said. "I thought I was one of those people who could eat whatever he wanted, smoke as much as he wanted, and it's not going to affect me. Boy, was I wrong," he said. Sorkin has since given up smoking, works out twice a day and has incorporated a healthier diet. "I take a lot of medicine. You can hear the pills rattling around in me," he added. The screenwriter is currently preparing for the opening of his new musical, Camelot, which is his fourth Broadway production. Image: Getty Images

Caring

“Some lowlife took our home”: Retirees wake to devastating theft

Retirees Sue and Tony Hill have been living out of a campervan and driving it on the Big Lap around Australia. They returned home to North Adelaide recently to stop in and visit family when disaster struck. Their home was stolen right from under their noses. "I came out Monday morning around 7.30 ish and it was gone,” Sue Hill told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/couple-move-life-into-campervan-and-have-everything-stolen/ac17b057-a51d-4b04-b366-9c63307b2984" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NineNews</a>. "Some lowlife took our home ... Our life has just been ripped out from under us.” The grey nomad couple, who had spent their retirement savings to buy the camper trailer for their Big Lap around the country, were absolutely distraught – but now an incredible act of charity has given them new hope, and a brand new trailer to call home. "We'd given up hope that we'd ever get back on the road again, which is what we love doing. We'd given up hope that we'd ever get our camper trailer back," Mrs Hill said. But then the owner of local business Eagle Camper Trailers – Brent – heard about the plight of the Hills and just had to act. "I heard it, I watched it and I thought 'I can't believe this'," Brent told NineNews. "The fact that someone had taken their home, I needed to try and do something to sort it out." The Hills also turned to social media to try and track down the stolen trailer or the thieves, with no luck. "I've been on the truckie pages trying to get the truckies of Australia to help," Sue and Tony's daughter Janene Harper said. "Through COVID and the rental crisis, they lived homeless for more than 12 months," she said, on the family’s Facebook fundraiser page. "They decided to invest every last dollar they had to purchase a portable home, something they could call home. They were required to sell most of their belongings to be able to move in." The Hills are now incredibly thankful to Brent at Eagle Camper Trailers for his generosity, and for helping to put them back on their feet and into a new home. Images: NineNews

Real Estate

"A living miracle": Deadly helicopter crash survivor speaks after waking from coma

The young survivor of the deadly helicopter crash in Queensland has woken from his coma and spoken to his father for the first time since the tragedy. Nicholas Tadros was one of seven people on-board a joy ride helicopter that crashed near SeaWorld theme park on the Gold Coast. Four people died in the incident, including his mother Vanessa. The family's parish priest Suresh Kumar described the boy as a "living miracle" after he woke up from an induced coma almost one month after the horrific crash. “This little boy is a living miracle friends,” Father Kumar said in a post to Facebook on Saturday. The priest was overjoyed to reveal that Nicholas did not have any lasting brain injuries and was able to speak to his father Simon for the first time over the weekend. “A billion thanks to God. He doesn’t have brain injury,” Father Kumar said. “Simon is able to talk to him and Nicholas responds very clearly with names, dates etc though his voice is bit slur.” The priest went on to suggest that Nicholas’s miraculous survival could have been a result of the heroic acts of his late mother. “His mum Vanessa might have grabbed his head and protected him at the impact. She is a hero,” Father Kumar said. “Nicholas will be able to tell us when he is able to recollect. May Vanessa’s soul rest in peace.” Nicholas still has a long road to recovery ahead of him, as the medical team in charge of his care are working to save his leg form amputation after it was "shattered very badly" during the crash. “We have got to keep praying that his leg is not amputated as the danger of losing his leg is still looming,” Father Kumar said. “Overall, our little champ is fighting the good fight and keeps improving.” Image credits: Nine News

News

Young helicopter crash survivor wakes from coma

There has been a glimmer of hope in the aftermath of the devastating Gold Coast helicopter tragedy. Nine-year-old Leon de Silva, who boarded the joyride with his mother Winnie, has woken up from a medically induced coma. He woke up on Thursday evening, moving from a critical condition to stable condition at Queensland Children's Hospital. Leon's stepfather Neil confirmed he is now in a stable condition, and remaining under observation. “We’re just focusing on their recovery now,” he told The Herald Sun. Leon was placed into an induced coma about 70 kilometres north at Brisbane Children's Hospital after suffering a cracked skull and severe trauma to the brain. His mother Winnie remains at the Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition after breaking both her legs, damaging her left knee, breaking her right shoulder and collarbone. Earlier on Thursday, Leon's stepfather Neil told Sunrise his wife is still "fighting" but her main priority was her son. "The main issue is the extensive injuries that he has. He’s lying in bed at the moment. He is still laying with his eyes closed and not able to talk or communicate at this stage," Mr de Silva said. He revealed his sister Julie has been by his stepson's bedside since the accident, and connected Ms de Silva with her son through FaceTime on Wednesday. "As she was saying, ‘mum’s here and mum’s going to look after you and everything’s going to be alright’, he actually managed to give her a thumbs up," Mr de Silva added. "It wasn’t a full thumbs up, he could only lift it halfway but that was fantastic news." Image credits: GoFundMe

News

Melbourne show rollercoaster victim finally wakes

The young woman who was critically injured after being struck by a rollercoaster in Melbourne has finally awoken from her medically induced coma. After spending more than two months hospitalised in an unconscious state, Shylah Rodden, 26, has suffered brain damage and serious injuries to the pelvis, arms, legs and back after being hit by the Rebel Coaster carriage rollercoaster, at the Royal Melbourne Show on September 25. She was struck by the ride, which was travelling 70km/h, while trying to retrieve her phone from underneath the tracks. The hospital has since revealed that since Wednesday November 30 she has awoken and is in a stable condition. A person close to Ms Rodden's family has said that she was "still not out of the woods". Ms Rodden had been showing some signs of improvement, with her condition being downgraded from critical to serious on October 11. At the time she was taken to hospital, doctors told her parents they "haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time". On the day she was struck, Ms Rodden had been working at a friend's stall at the show when the pair decided to go on a few rides during their break. She is believed to have dropped her phone while on the rollercoaster. Investigators believe she walked under the tracks of the high-speed ride to retrieve the device. WorkSafe is investigating the circumstances behind the tragedy with the assistance of detectives from the Yarra Crime Investigation Unit. The investigation revealed there were no technical issues with the rollercoaster. Shylah's father had previously told Daily Mail Australia that his daughter had suffered life-changing injuries. "The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She's brain damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken. I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done." Images: Facebook

Caring

“A wake-up call for the cops”: Sydney protester Danny Lim released from hospital

Well-known Sydney activist Danny Lim has been released from hospital after injuries to his head and face during an attempted arrest by police that sparked outcry. The 78-year-old, recognised by many for his sandwich board signs bearing political messages, was hospitalised after officers tried to arrest him for failing to “comply with a move-on order” at the Queen Victoria Building on Tuesday. Criminal lawyer Chris Murphy, a lawyer at the firm that represents Mr Lim, confirmed that he had been released from St Vincent’s Hospital on Thursday with “a plan in place for ongoing monitoring”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Danny Lim has been released from hospital with a plan in place for ongoing monitoring. Thank you staff at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst for the loving care.Thank you to the community for your love & support, hope to get our happy icon back with his smiles and his signs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/beautiful?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#beautiful</a> <a href="https://t.co/k4ZclbOCyg">pic.twitter.com/k4ZclbOCyg</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1595493821323714560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2022</a></blockquote> “Thank you staff at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst for the loving care,” he wrote on social media. "Thank you to the community for your love and support, hope to get our happy icon back with his smiles and his signs." Mr Murphy also shared footage of the incident and updates on the activist’s health, with the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/sydney-man-danny-lim-arrest-to-undergo-independent-review-after-outrage/c4vq7yd9m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SBS</a> reporting that Mr Lim was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma on Wednesday. "Internal skull damage diagnose(d)," Mr Murphy said on Twitter. Mr Lim was wearing a sign that read ‘Smile cvn’t! Why cvn’t?’ while walking through Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building on Tuesday when security told him to leave. Police were called and confronted the protester, with footage taken by a witness showing Mr Lim being tripped and pushed down by two officers, falling head-first onto the tiled floor and being handcuffed. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> BREAKING NEWS:VIDEO VIOLENT NSW POLICE ARREST OF INNOCENT 80 YEAR OLD MAN WEARING BILLBOARD A COURT HAS FOUND LEGAL THE LAST TIME HE WAS WRONGLY ARRESTED FOR IT. CVNT LIKE CENT AND CANT IS NOT AN OFFENSIVE TERM. LAST TIME COURT CRITICISED HEAVY HANDED VIOLENCE NOW IN HOSPITAL. <a href="https://t.co/Ovy942m4tx">pic.twitter.com/Ovy942m4tx</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1594898646981496832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote> When Mr Lim was picked up off the tiled floor, blood could be seen on the ground and on his cheek, and officers “discontinued” the arrest. Speaking to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/22/serial-protester-danny-lim-in-hospital-after-discontinued-arrest-in-sydney-cbd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guardian Australia</a> from hospital, Mr Lim said he had asked police to call an ambulance and informed them he had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “I told them to ring an ambulance,” he said on Tuesday. “They refused. “I could be dead when they threw me down like that.” Businessman Mike Ashley, a witness to the altercation, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/24/danny-lim-asked-police-to-call-ambulance-and-told-them-of-his-ptsd-before-arrest-witness-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the outlet</a> that he noticed the hearted confrontation and heard Mr Lim repeatedly asked officers to call an ambulance. Mr Ashley said Lim had been begging for an ambulance to be called before he was thrown to the ground. “He let them know very clearly that he had PTSD, and that he needed an ambulance,” Mr Ashley said. “He voiced that very clearly at the outset. He became increasingly agitated as they approached him.” But, when Mr Ashley said he was threatened by officers when he tried to intervene and asked Mr Lim if he should call an ambulance. “The officer … said, ‘If you do that, we will charge you with hindering an arrest,’” he said. “It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that you might use to de-escalate [the] situation.” Following the incident, the actions officers took during the arrest will be subject to an independent review. In a statement, police said Mr Lim had failed to comply with move-on orders from security and officers. "Police will allege the man was subsequently issued with a move on direction by officers and failed to comply," they said. "The man's arrest was discontinued after he struggled with police and sustained an injury to his cheekbone ... "As inquiries into the incident continue, an independent review has been launched, which will examine the actions of police during the incident." His recent arrest has been condemned by many online and by politicians, including the NSW Greens. "The actions by the NSW Police yesterday were completely out of line and an indication of just how dangerous new police powers are to the vulnerable in our society," Greens MP Sue Higginson said on Wednesday. "This type of violent arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere." Independent member Alex Greenwich told <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/11/23/danny-lim-hospitalised-nsw-over-policing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crikey</a> the incident was “deeply concerning” and an example of “over-policing”. “Sydneysiders have a great deal of affection for Danny Lim and people know who he is and that he is a peaceful protester and a harmless person. It’s deeply concerning to see over-policing, let alone over-policing leading to someone being injured,” he said. “I hope this is a wake-up call for the cops and I obviously hope that Danny has a full recovery.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Today after being smashed into the floor by New South Wales Police. Internal skull damage diagnose. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DannyLim?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DannyLim</a> <a href="https://t.co/Cc5IvO3nP9">pic.twitter.com/Cc5IvO3nP9</a> — chris murphy (@chrismurphys) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismurphys/status/1594913582063706112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2022</a></blockquote> Amnesty International Australia said they had documented incidents where police used force against people, like Mr Lim, who were expressing their right to freedom of expression and hoped NSW Police would follow through on holding an independent review. “People like 78-year-old Danny Lim should be free to express themselves without fearing injury,” the organisation said. Mr Lim has previously been arrested and fined $500 for wearing the same sign, but was deemed to be allowed to wear it after a successful court case in 2019. Magistrate Jaqueline Milledge ruled at the time in favour of Mr Lim, saying “the police action was heavy-handed and unnecessary” and ruling that the signs may be cheeky but weren’t criminally offensive. Image: Twitter

Legal

“The best thing I’ve ever done”: Answering the COPD wake-up call

Brian is a 62-year-old Aussie bloke from Bendigo who once enjoyed a variety of different sports. He had led a very active lifestyle, was a keen fisherman, and loved playing footy. However, all that changed when, at just 47, he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a chronic and progressive lung condition, sometimes also diagnosed as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, that can cause your airways to narrow and become obstructed and inflamed, making breathing difficult.1 Unfortunately, there is no cure for COPD but there are management plans available – it’s just a matter of knowing what’s best for you. Which is exactly why Brian is sharing his own experience of the moment he became aware of certain symptoms, and proactively discussing his condition with his doctor to manage his COPD and remain as active as he can. The impact of COPD is staggering, making it the fifth leading cause of death and leading cause of preventable hospitalisations in Australia alone – and the third leading cause of death worldwide.2,3 What’s more, the prevalence of COPD increases with age, mostly occurring in people aged 45 and over.2 When Brian was initially diagnosed, he was interested in learning as much as he could about COPD but was not ready to make specific lifestyle changes at that time. Then in 2015, he was also diagnosed with a heart condition, which shares some of the same risk factors as COPD. For Brian, this major health scare was a wake-up call, and he started to take more notice of his symptoms, particularly his breathing. Brian’s new approach included proactively talking to his doctor to understand his COPD – and in particular to know the difference between his “normal everyday symptoms” and the symptoms he felt when his COPD was worsening, and he was having a flare-up. In this context, a "flare-up" constituted a worsening of COPD symptoms that went beyond the normal day-to-day changes, and which needed additional medication as treatment.1 For Brian, in terms of managing his COPD proactively, this has been the key. “The best thing I’ve ever done is create a plan (with my doctor). Because every time you have a flare-up, it causes more damage to your lungs. If you’ve been diagnosed with COPD, do something about it straight away.” Like Brian, there are countless Australians living with COPD who may not be aware of the difference between normal fluctuations in their symptoms and a COPD flare-up that could impact their overall health, and requires medical intervention.1 Understanding the difference between your “normal everyday symptoms” versus your “signs of a flare-up” can ensure treatment is started as early as possible and may greatly improve the quality of your life. 1 This is why <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.beflareaware.com.au</a> gives both patients and caregivers free access to an extensive wealth of information. The website provides more information about the disease and how to recognise the symptoms of an exacerbation, or a flare-up, and take action early. The raft of easy-use-tools include interactive videos, quizzes and advice from healthcare professionals. “COPD does creep up on you,” recalls Brian. “Suddenly you are getting puffed out doing everyday activities like walking to the car or along the beach. For me, everything started to become more of a chore, and I was constantly struggling to breathe.” <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/O60_Brian_Evoke-10_1280.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Upon reflection, Brian recalled how COPD had started to impact his relationships with his family and friends too, just as he was coming to terms with the importance of managing his condition. “I have always loved footy,” he says. “My grandson and I used to kick the footy at the local park. He’d be up one end and I on the other. We weren’t even half a dozen kicks in before I was totally out of steam, and I had to sit down. For me, quality time with the grandkids is so important. I told myself, if my grandson wants to kick the footy, then I should be kicking the footy with him to the best of my ability.” Brian started to take a proactive role in his health, including speaking to his doctors about finding a plan to manage his COPD, like taking note of the difference between his “normal everyday symptoms” and when he’s having a flare-up and taking action as soon as he notices one beginning; as well as making important lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and putting a healthy diet and sustainable exercise regime first. “We know our bodies catch up to us as we get older and it’s something many of us find difficult to accept,” he explains. “Knowing the signs and symptoms of issues that aren’t necessarily related to ageing, such as breathing, is critical.” Today, Brian’s lungs are operating at just 37% of normal capacity, which means any form of exertion is difficult. Despite these challenges, Brian has become very flare-aware and actively manages his COPD so that he is able to maintain activities that are important to him. Brian encourages other people living with COPD to take action as early as possible to best manage their condition too. <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/O60_BeFlareAware_videoThumb_02_1280.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="659" /></a> “In everything I do, from taking out the rubbish or going for a walk, I need to pace myself,” he says. “I always say that I could have made more of a difference to how I’m living now if I had taken action earlier and made lifestyle changes straight away.” Brian urges anybody who has been living with COPD to take the diagnosis seriously and <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seek out resources</a> to help you become flare-aware. Early recognition and the ability to manage the disease is important as it can minimise negative impacts of COPD and help prevent future flare-ups.1 If you or someone you care for are feeling overwhelmed by a COPD diagnosis and would like to become more proactive in your management of COPD, <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.beflareaware.com.au</a> is an excellent resource to educate both patients and caregivers – and also includes useful links and information created by Lung Foundation Australia. Check out the video below to hear more of Brian’s inspiring story, and to find out how you can live better and Be Flare Aware. <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/O60_BeFlareAware_videoThumb_1280.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="644" /></a> References: 1. Lung Foundation Australia. COPD Factsheet. <a href="https://lungfoundation.com.au/resources/copd-fact-sheet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://lungfoundation.com.au/resources/copd-fact-sheet/</a> [Last accessed: September 2022] 2. AIHW. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Available at: <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/copd/contents/deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/copd/contents/deaths</a> [Last accessed: September 2022]. 3. Quaderi SA, Hurst JR. The unmet global burden of COPD. Glob Health Epidemiol Genom. 2018; 3: e4. Published 2018 Apr 6. Images: Supplied This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with AstraZeneca’s <a href="https://www.beflareaware.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Be Flare Aware</a> campaign.

Body

Why do I wake up thirsty?

If you wake up in the morning feeling thirsty, you might be dehydrated. There are a few things which might be at play here, including not drinking enough the day before. The temperature overnight will also impact your hydration levels, with warm conditions meaning you will sweat overnight. However, even during cold weather, we still lose fluid from breathing, which you’ve probably noticed when your breath becomes visible in the cold. Often people avoid drinking fluids just before bed to avoid waking in the night to visit the toilet, which may further exacerbate dehydration. And one of the commonest causes for waking up thirsty is consuming too many diuretics, especially alcohol. Diuretics are things which cause you to lose fluid through urine, but beyond what you would normally lose from the volume you have consumed. So why is it so important to stay hydrated, and what can we do to ensure we are? <h2>How do I know if I’m dehydrated?</h2> Our brains release a hormone called “antidiuretic hormone” when it senses we are becoming dehydrated. It also releases this during the night to help us retain fluid since we can’t drink water while we sleep. This hormone does two things. It makes us feel thirsty, prompting us to go and drink water, and it tells our kidneys to absorb more water back into the body, rather than turning it into urine. This response occurs when we are dehydrated by 1-2% of our body weight. So if you weigh 70kg, and you have lost 1.4kg of weight over the day, it is a 2% loss of body fluids. (We know this amount of weight loss is fluids and not body weight, as it would almost be impossible for people to lose this amount of fat and/or muscle in a day). The colour of your first morning urine is a really good indicator of how hydrated you are. The darker the colour, the more dehydrated you are. You should be aiming for your first morning urine, as viewed in a white toilet bowl, to be the colour of hay. <h2>Why is hydration important?</h2> Staying hydrated is crucial for the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19724292/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">optimal functioning of our body</a>. Dehydration, even at 2% of body weight, can impact <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17921463/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physical performance</a> – this includes things like fine motor skills, coordination, and strength and endurance when working and exercising. It also makes you feel like you are exerting yourself more than normal, which means you will tire more easily. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cognitive performance</a> and ability are also affected at 1-2% dehydration. This includes the ability to concentrate, solve problems and make decisions. Dehydration also increases your risk of feeling more unwell with heat, and of course in heat you are more at risk of dehydration. Health is further impacted if dehydration goes beyond 2%. At about 10% dehydration (so losing 7kg of fluids in a 70kg person), delirium can set in, as well as renal failure and even death. Recommendations tell us we need to consume <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-i-have-to-drink-eight-glasses-of-water-per-day-we-asked-five-experts-93025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around two litres of fluid</a> per day, much of which can come from the food we eat, and importantly fluid losses <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15673099/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can be corrected within 24 hours</a>. <h2>What are diuretics and why do they make us dehydrated?</h2> Diuretics are a class of drugs that make the kidneys remove salt and water from the body through urine, usually to treat high blood pressure. But naturally occurring diuretics are also found in our diet. Alcoholic drinks above 4% alcohol concentration cause our body to turn more fluid into urine than the amount of fluid we’re actually drinking. Given most beers, wines and spirits are above this level, a night with friends having a couple of glasses of alcohol may cause dehydration. Coffee is also a diuretic as it contains two chemicals, caffeine and theophylline, which both increase blood flow to the kidneys – this makes them excrete more fluid. Intakes below 450mg of caffeine (about three to four coffees) are unlikely to impact hydration levels, and most people have a lot of milk and water with their coffee which would replenish most of the fluid lost. Other known diuretics include cranberry juice, ginger, fennel, apple cider vinegar and some teas including green, dandelion and nettle. There are <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00345-002-0293-0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many</a> herbs that are known to be diuretics. However, this does not mean they should be avoided as they offer many other important nutrients, and fluid recommendations account for diuretics in foods consumed in typical serve sizes. Eating foods high in salt does not lead to total water loss from your body, but it causes fluid loss from your cells. This is problematic for your body and the way cells are regulated. So it’s crucial to drink plenty of fluids when consuming a high-salt meal or diet. <h2>How can I stay hydrated?</h2> Activities that lead to increased sweating, such as training, playing sport or even gardening, can cause dehydration. So be sure to increase your fluid intake if you have been active, or if the weather is warm. All fluids contribute to your intake, but water is very effective. Recently a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26702122/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">group of researchers</a> looked at the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status relative to water. Sparkling water, sports drinks, cola, diet cola, tea and coffee were equivalent to water. Milk (any fat percentage) from either dairy or soy, milk-based meal replacements, oral rehydration solutions and <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/23/6/article-p593.xml?rskey=JTFcHB&result=603&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=International_Journal_of_Sport_Nutrition_and_Exercise_Metabolism_TrendMD_0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beer</a> under 4% alcohol were superior to water. And of course alcohol above 4% alcohol concentration was inferior to water. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-wake-up-thirsty-183731" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Woman wakes from coma to find she is now single

An Australian woman has gone viral after revealing how her fiance left her for another woman while she was in a coma for three months. Brie Duval, 25, was living in Canada when her life took a horrific turn in 2020. She was out with friends when she fell off a 10m retaining wall, crashing headfirst onto the pavement. The 25-year-old was left with a brain injury and several broken bones and was flown to the University of Alberta Hospital where she was placed on life support in the ICU. Brie’s parents refused to turn off her life support and she miraculously began to show signs of improvement, waking up after three months. Additionally, Brie also suffered from post-traumatic amnesia, forgetting “simple things” like her passwords and address, she ended up remaining in hospital for an extra five months. Once she was able to remember day-to-day things, she was given back her phone and her first thought was to call her fiancé, as he hadn’t been with her in the hospital. That’s when she discovered her boyfriend of four years had moved in with another woman. In a TikTok that has been viewed two million times, Brie explained that when she went to call him for the first time after “finally” waking up from her coma, she found a text on her phone from another woman. <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@hotcomagirl1/video/7103109625695784194" data-video-id="7103109625695784194"> <section><a title="@hotcomagirl1" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hotcomagirl1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@hotcomagirl1</a> Real coma experience vs. senior year coma experience! <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="coma" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/coma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#coma</a> <a title="braininjuryawareness" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braininjuryawareness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#braininjuryawareness</a> <a title="braininjurysurvivor" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/braininjurysurvivor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#braininjurysurvivor</a> <a title="♬ original sound - HotComaGirl113" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7103109615402912513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound - HotComaGirl113</a></section> </blockquote> He also blocked her on all his social media accounts with the young woman claiming she hadn’t heard from her former fiance now in 11 months. “He doesn’t care that you nearly died with a 10% chance of living, but you know, at least he’s happy,” she continued. Brie’s video was immediately flooded with thousands of comments from other users also shocked by her fiance’s actions. Overwhelmed by all the support, Brie jumped into the comments section to thank viewers. “Thank you all for this support! I’ve had such a hard time and all of this love means the world,” she wrote. It prompted her to share several other videos, with one clarifying how exactly she fell. “So I did still plummet headfirst into concrete and go into a coma, I just wasn’t on a rooftop bar. I just said that because it was easier in the story to say rooftop bar.” If the news of her fiance wasn’t bad enough, given her freak accident happened at the height of the pandemic, her parents were unable to visit her in Canada, due to restrictions in Australia. “They told my mum that I had a 10 per cent chance of living and that she should get over to Canada as soon as she could because things weren’t looking good.” “My mum and dad went to the government and asked for special permission to say goodbye to me as things were bad at that point. They refused them, they would not give them a chance and they would not give them a reason, they just flat out said no. “So my mum told doctors in Canada to keep my life support on and do not under any circumstances turn that off, which they had to medically abide by.” Brie told the publication the incident made her realise she never wants to be apart from her family again and she has since moved back to Australia to be near them. The recovery process for Brie is ongoing as she continues to learn to live with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). “Getting back to normal life, just trying to establish what my new normal is – I couldn’t swallow when I first woke up. I’ve had to try and learn how to walk again – from my waist down to my toes, it feels like it’s gone dead,” she told the publication. She continues to share videos to raise awareness of what it’s like to live with a TBI. Image: TikTok

Relationships

Why does my cat wake me up so early?

You’ve got an important meeting in the morning and your cat wakes you at 4am. Why? And what can you do to stop this happening again? Although cats are evolved for night-time activity, during domestication they have adapted to human lifestyles. Domestic cats tend to be most active early in the morning and at dusk, not in the middle of the night. They also change their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787812001220?via%3Dihub">activity cycles</a> to fit in with their human housemates. This means if you sleep at night, your cat should also be resting. And a lot of people do sleep with their cat. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2018.1529354">survey</a> of women in the US, around 30% slept with at least one cat. So why do some cats want to play in the wee hours? The reason why your cat is waking you up will often help you understand how to stop them. Here are three reasons your cat might be waking you up and how to address the issue. <h2>1. They’re hungry</h2> This is among the most common reasons. Unfortunately, one of the first things a sleepy person will do is feed their cat. This rewards the behaviour and makes the cat more likely to repeat it. To start addressing this problem, make sure your cat is getting enough to eat throughout the day. You can feed them a meal or a satisfying snack right before you go to bed. If you usually feed your cat in the morning, you need to make sure your cat is not associating wake up time with breakfast time. Leave a gap between when you get out of bed and when you feed kitty breakfast – aim for at least half an hour. You can also train your cat to associate something else with getting fed, such as saying “breakfast time!”. <h2>2. They don’t have a routine</h2> Cats love predictability. Keeping a regular routine has even been associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X15590867">reduced stress levels</a> in cats. To maintain a routine, keep mealtimes, play times and any grooming close to the same time each day. Empty litter at regular, predictable intervals (dirty or disturbed litter may also be a reason your cat is waking you up). Try not to move litter trays, bowls or scratch posts around unless needed. If something changes in their environment – you go on holiday, move furniture or have a new house guest or pet – your cat may return to early morning wake up calls. This is typical for cats. Keep the routine as consistent as you can and eventually your cat will settle in to the new normal. <h2>3. They’re not using up their energy throughout the day</h2> It’s common knowledge cats love to sleep, but they also love to play and move their bodies just like us. It’s important to give your cat access to a variety of toys and resources around the house to interact with, especially if you’re not home often. Scratch posts offer cats a place to climb and stretch. Balls, soft and motorised toys give them an opportunity to play and exercise. When you are home, engage your cat with an interactive toy (like a cat wand) or play a game of chase around the house. You can even try making up a game your cat will enjoy. Cats get bored easily. Keep variety in your play times. And don’t play with your cat in the hour before you want to go to bed. Ideally, a play session before you go out and once you get home should help to keep your kitty quiet overnight. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-my-cat-wake-me-up-so-early-and-what-can-i-do-about-it-180959" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty

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