Laundry SAVED MY LIFE

A painful accident led to a whole new life for Georgie

- Claudia Siron

Georgie Fisher, 47, Tweed Heads, NSW

Guzzling a bottle of G Pepsi, I helped my son, Dylan, then 18, with his Year 12 schoolwork.

'Good job,' I smiled.

As Dylan has severe autism, I'd been homeschooling him for five years. I did my best for my son, but I was struggling.

A single parent, I battled depression and other mental health issues, which had left me housebound for the past eight years.

As a result, my weight had crept up, too. Weighing 280 kilos, I feared people's stares and snide comments if I ever went to the shops.

It's easier if I just stay hidden, I told myself.

Scouring online for size 38 clothes in December 2019, our next supermarket order arrived on the doorstep.

Dylan and I got busy preparing food for our New Year's Eve dinner, planning to settle in to watch the fireworks on TV.

Cleaning up the house in the afternoon, I decided to put on a load of washing.

As I approached the laundry, my body suddenly gave in and I stumbled.

Lurching forwards, I fell between the hot water system and the steps.

'Ow!' I screamed, hearing a loud crunch.

I think I've broken my foot, I realised.

Dylan rushed over and tried to help me up, but I couldn't budge.

I hesitated calling emergency services, terrified of being judged for my size. But in excruciating pain, I finally dialled.

I'm a big girl,' I sheepishly warned the operator.

I then called my mum, Liz, who lived around the corner, to come and stay with Dylan.