KERRY Munsie, 43, of Loftus, spent most of her adult life working in intensive care and organ and tissue donation at St George Hospital.
It never prepared her though for the reality of life on "the other side of the coin".
The former clinical nurse consultant became a quadriplegic after the car she was travelling in with her husband and two young children blew a tyre near Cape York in 2009.
She was the only person injured in the accident, and is doing her best to adapt to a world not built for wheelchairs.
"I get a lot of offers of assistance from people which is really nice," Mrs Munsie said.
"Then there's other people who don't see you and won't make eye contact.
"Some friends stick by you and others don't.
"I would never have foreseen all this, not that I thought I was invincible, but because of what I did in intensive care."
Mrs Munsie was paralysed from the base of her neck down but has the use of her arms.
Through Spinal Cord Injury Australia's Walk On rehabilitation program, she has been able to learn how to drive, shower and do chores independently again. "I had to be a patient, and I had to be patient," she said.
Mrs Munsie said urban planners should work closely with people in wheelchairs when making decisions about footpaths and roads.
Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is holding an independence expo at Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, on Saturday, April 5.
It will include workshops, experts, and manufacturers of disability products.
Details: scia.org.au/expo
