Flanked on both sides by her handsome sons and looking radiant despite the summer rain, a remarkably relaxed and healthy Susan Wood can barely wipe the smile off her face at our Woman’s Day photo shoot.
She might be pretending to be cross with 22-year-old university student Matt as he jokingly threatens not to finish his degree – “I’ve got the frame waiting!” – but her pride and affection for her two boys is plain to see. Hugs and pats are plentiful, and Susan can’t help but grin as they lovingly tease her the way boys often do to their mums.
“She’s like an anti-hoarder,” Alex, 25, laughs as he accuses her of throwing too much out during one of her cleaning frenzies. “I am not!” she cries, all mock indignation, affectionately tapping Alex on the nose.
It’s hard to believe that a year ago, this close-knit threesome were facing the most terrifying time imaginable. On January 11, 2015, Susan suffered a fall on the stairs at her Auckland home, sustaining such a serious head injury that doctors believed she was unlikely to survive.
Surgeons removed a large piece of her skull to reduce swelling and she was on a life- support machine in intensive care for almost a week. The next month was spent in a neurological ward in Auckland Hospital, followed by six gruelling weeks of learning to walk and talk again at a brain injury rehabilitation facility.
Susan says Matt (left) and Alex were her rocks in the months following her near-fatal accident.
Miracle recovery
Today, Susan is the very picture of health – just as beautiful as before and every bit as charismatic. Her speech is back to its rapid-fire best, her mind is as sharp as a tack and you’d never guess that only a year ago she was unable to form, or read, even the simplest of sentences. “I’m normal!” she insists. “Well, as normal as I ever was.”
Typically matter-of-fact, Susan doesn’t want to dwell on the accident. In fact, she says she’s sick of talking about it and just wants to move on. But Alex and Matt’s memories of it are far clearer, and they admit the experience of nearly losing their mum was life-altering.
“I really think it made me become an adult,” Alex says. “You don’t expect to see your mum like that, especially at our age. It was so awful, but we coped – and I think we coped because of the skills mum had taught us growing up. She’s always been so determined, focused and hardworking, and I guess that sort of positivity has rubbed off on us.”
It’s almost 15 years since Susan last appeared with her sons in a Woman’s Day story. Like their mum, Alex and Matt want to celebrate the fact their family is in one piece, and to say thank you to all the people who helped in their hour of need.
“It’s the fact that we are actually able to sit here with Mum and tell this story that’s so remarkable,” reflects Matt. “We came so close to losing her.”
Just hours before the accident, the family, including the boys’ dad, Susan’s ex-husband Duncan Beck, had shared a special dinner to farewell Alex, who was due to return to his home in Berlin.
The lads had headed into the city to meet up with friends by the time Susan had her fall. Thankfully, she was found by her niece Madeleine, who was staying for the weekend. “I don’t think we had an idea how serious it was when we got the phone call to say Mum had had an accident,”
Alex admits. “But as soon as we arrived at the emergency department, it was pretty clear. Doctors took us aside and asked if we wanted to know what the odds were of her surviving.” Amazingly, the boys told medical staff they didn’t want to know those odds. They were determined to remain hopeful and stay positive for the mum they love so much.
Bedside vigil
“The first night was definitely the hardest,” Alex recalls. “There were a lot of tears that night. Mum had tears rolling down her face too, even though she was unconscious.” Matt adds, “I have a very distinct memory of her being wheeled away for surgery and us wondering what was going to happen. I don’t think that will ever leave me.”
While Susan has no memory of her month spent in hospital, Alex and Matt say they were given enormous hope for her recovery when she began squeezing their hands one day. Another milestone came when the boys took a photo of Susan’s adored late father to hospital and she managed to utter the word “Dad”.
“Small things like that became really important,” recalls Alex, who says those first few weeks were unimaginably difficult. “They were affirmations that she might be getting better.”
Each day that Susan clung to life felt like a victory. “There were a lot of sleepless nights. One of things that really upset me was the thought that Mum wouldn’t be around to be a grandma when I have children one day,” Alex adds. As the days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months, the boys put their lives on hold to be at their mum’s side. Alex’s return to Berlin was postponed, meaning he missed the final year of his degree in entrepreneurialism.
Instead, he threw himself into taking over Susan’s affairs. “We both needed distractions during those first few weeks,” Alex admits. “I just took over Mum’s things, like paying the bills, dealing with her work invoices and emailing people.”
University of Otago student Matt, who is in his final year of law and commerce studies, reveals he coped by playing poker at the casino whenever he wasn’t at Susan’s bedside.“It might sound strange, but gambling is my hobby, much like sport is to other people,” he explains. “It was a really good distraction for me.”
“Both the boys were amazing,” Susan says. “Along with Duncan and my mum, they were just incredible – and I know I’m extremely lucky to have them.” With each day that passed after her accident, Susan defied the odds with her astonishing recovery. But it was slow going and the boys agree good-naturedly when she suggests she wasn’t a good patient.
“A doctor warned us that she’d need to vent her frustration,” Alex tells. “Me and Granny [Susan’s 84-year-old mum Marie Williams] definitely bore the brunt of that. She would get annoyed if we brought things to [rehabilition unit] ABI for her, even if she really actually needed them, like her toothbrush!”
Matt returned to Dunedin in February and it was March – two months after the accident – before Alex finally returned to Berlin. The boys both say they were worried about leaving Susan, even though she’d already returned home and was on the mend. “I was calling her every day from Berlin,” recalls Alex. “She was probably feeling smothered because in hindsight, I was being a bit overprotective.” With tears in her eyes, Susan responds, “I loved your phone calls, Alex. You didn’t call me too much.”
Susan last appeared on our pages with Alex and Matt, then aged 11 and eight, in 2002.
When the beloved broadcaster first spoke of her ordeal to Woman’s Day six months ago, she confessed she felt huge guilt for putting her sons through such a traumatic time. But she says time has helped her move on, and she’s loved every minute of having Alex and Matt home for the summer now that she’s well again.
“I wish they hadn’t had to go through it, but having them home has been so good because it’s proved that things are back to normal. I’m still their mum. Nothing has changed.”
For their part, the boys reveal the accident has brought them even closer together. Says Matt, “It’s been good for family relationships. It’s forced us all to re-evaluate and be grateful that we have each other. I certainly don’t get so annoyed by things any more or worry about much. There’s a greater appreciation for each other.”
Last month, Susan spent the anniversary of her fall on a work trip to San Francisco. “It was fantastic – I didn’t give the accident a second thought,” she beams. “It really is time to move on now.”
Unsurprisingly, she is thrilled to have farewelled her difficult 2015 and is embracing the year to come wholeheartedly. A return to hosting TV One’s Q+A show is in the pipeline and she’s keeping busy with MC work. Susan is also planning a trip to Germany to visit Alex, who is working on a start-up digital- banking business and is even hoping to go to the States to see Matt compete in a poker competition. And after the sad loss of her 13-year-old Labrador Charlie last September, Susan’s also considering bringing a new puppy into her home.
The mum admits there’s nothing like coming close to death to give you a new outlook on life. “I don’t worry about the small things any more,” she tells. “I just accept them and get on with what I want to do. My view on life is more open than it used to be. When I go out for coffee, I stop and talk to babies and old people, and I love it.”
But mostly, Susan’s just happy to be feeling well again. “That’s all I wanted – to get back to normal and still be the boys’ mum. It really is quite amazing to be given a second chance at life”
With Susan now fully recovered, she is looking forward to spending time abroad with her two jet-setting sons.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
