If you’d told Pearl Freemantle six years ago that she’d be competing in a fun run, the Wellington grandmother would probably have laughed at you. That’s because the once active Pearl (59) has spent the last six years barely able to walk more than a few metres.
“Going from that to the 6.5km Wellington Round the Bays race was amazing,” says the feisty primary school teacher. “I’m still pinching myself at how far I’ve come.”
Pearl’s “darkest days” followed an accident she suffered while at school in 2009. “I slipped on a slimy path, landed on my knees and popped three discs in my back,” she says. Pearl was still able to walk, but in the months following the accident, the “burning, searing” pain got so bad, she frequently blacked out.
Left: Pearl’s claim was rejected by ACC, and she hit rock bottom. Right: After years of crippling pain, this gutsy gran is back on her feet.
“It was worse than childbirth,” says the mother of four and grandmother of seven. “I had no control over my body, was barely able to speak or read and needed all my willpower to do even the simplest tasks.”
That included taking a whole day to do a load of washing, pegging up items using her teeth. But it wasn’t the only battle Pearl had – ACC rejected her claim, saying her condition was degenerative.
“I had to give up my job, which I loved, and was forced to live off my savings until they were gone. I almost lost my house and I certainly lost my confidence.”
After hitting financial rock bottom, Pearl eventually received the sickness benefit. Life, however, was still a struggle, particularly on the day she got stuck on the toilet for seven hours because the nerve pain was so bad.
“There was no-one at home to hear my screams for help and it took me seven hours to find the sheer willpower to get off,” Pearl recalls, adding that she once spent 37 hours in bed, unable to move until her partner Joseph found her.
Pearl, who is now back kayaking, walking and volunteering for the YMCA and the Brownies, admits it has been a long, slow road back to good health. It was sheer stubbornness and determination that got me through,” she says, crediting her oldest granddaughter, Latisha (10), with her recovery. “Latisha would help lift my legs, get me into the shower and do physio with me. It was because of her that I was able to do the ‘slow, old woman shuffle!’”
Last year, Pearl took herself off the benefit and started doing relief teaching. She’s now looking for a permanent job. “It feels so good to be alive. I do have days when the pain is still there, but I’ve beaten it before so I know I can beat it again.”
Words by: Sharon Stephenson
