I'm Not Finished Yet (Grant Wilson, Australia, 2023)
This short film explores themes of achievement, motivation and faith through the lens of adult experience and physical disability. With a focus on quadriplegia and life in a wheelchair, it offers thoughtful moments that invite reflection rather than prescription. Audiences can expect a personal and honest approach that acknowledges the challenges and small victories people with disability face. The film sits comfortably within the Focus on Ability festival programme, which celebrates the talents, stories and contributions of people with disability. It is a considered piece for viewers interested in resilience, belief and the everyday work of living fully.
My name's Grant, and I'm a quadriplegic. For the first 39 years of my life, I've faced both mental and physical challenges, but nothing could have prepared me for the challenge that I was about to face. August 16th is a day that I will never forget. I was at a local bike track with my family. I lined up my bike to ride over this wooden rollover, but on that first little hill, my front wheel came off the side, and I went head over the handlebars, landing directly on the back of my head and breaking my neck. I was instantly paralysed. It was like someone had turned off the switch to my entire body. Within minutes, I was being flown by helicopter to Royal North Shore Hospital for assessment and then surgery. Waking up in ICU, doctors informed me that due to my injury, I was now a C4 incomplete quadriplegic. Simply put, that means that all of my four limbs have been affected. Everything from my injury site down, my arms, my legs, my bowels, my bladder, has all been affected by my injury, and I can't feel, I have no sensation from the shoulders down. The reality of the situation was that medical staff were telling me that I would never walk again. Life was never, ever going to be the same again. I really thought that this injury was so much more than I could overcome. My faith and trust in God and his goodness has been foundational to my life and who I am. So, as I lay in that hospital bed one night, with all the doubts running through my mind, I really felt God speak to me in a still, small voice and tell me that Grant, I'm not finished with you yet. I can remember the first kind of flicker in my hand and the movement in my arm, and seeing the look on my wife's face and excitement in her eyes was just the encouragement I needed not to give up. After a week in ICU, I was transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital, where it was time to begin my rehab journey. Independence was my goal, and being able to push myself in a manual wheelchair was how I was going to get there. As I gained more and more movement, I got stronger and stronger, pushing myself around the ward, up hills, and eventually all over the place. Although my wheelchair gave me the independence I needed back, I was determined to learn to stand on my own, and even if it was just a few steps, to learn to walk again. I started to move in quick succession through all these different mobility aids, gaining more and more strength in this damaged body of mine. I can now pretty confidently, on my own, walk with crutches, and even in my own kind of style, walking about 15 metres, all on my own. After my injury, there were so many things that I believed I would never be able to do again, yet here I am, walking, driving, swimming, spending time with my family in the water. I'm lifting weights, I'm skiing, I'm back on the mountain bike, and I'm conquering mountains. And yet the greatest achievement is being able to stand up, to look my wife in the eye, and tell her just how much I love her. Being with my kids, laughing, playing, and just enjoying life. I didn't get to where I am today all on my own. It's been my faith, my family, my friends, and community that have got me here. I'm so thankful for the people in my life who have stood by me through all of this, which has been the greatest challenge that I've ever faced. I don't know what's next, what life will look like in 6 or 12 months' time. All I do know is, I'm not finished yet. For more information visit www.FEMA.gov
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