Simmone Jade Mackinnon - 'THE TRAGEDY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE'

AS SHE TURNS 50, THE MCLEOD'S FAVOURITE IS THANKFUL FOR EVERY PRECIOUS MOMENT

- Jenny Brown 

For 17 agonising days, Simmone Jade Mackinnon lived in a limbo of mingled hope and dread. The popular McLeod’s Daughters star tried to believe in miracles, while fearing the worst.

Her adored niece, Rayne Johnsen, lay in a coma on life support, following a catastrophic eight-metre fall onto her head last June.

Nobody knew whether the vibrant 21-year-old would ever regain consciousness, let alone walk or talk again.

Then, after more than 24,000 minutes of anguish for the close-knit Mackinnon clan, there was a dramatic breakthrough worthy of a Drover’s Run storyline. At long last, Rayne was starting to stir.

“I went straight back to the hospital, into her room,” Simmone recalls emotionally. “She just looked at me and said, ‘Simmy, I’m your biggest fan.’ And I told her, ‘No, I’m your biggest fan!’ I was just crying.

“We’d all been told Rayne probably wouldn’t know who we were, when and if she came to. She would have amnesia, probably get angry, have difficulty with language, memory and fine motor skills.