A busy mum-of-four has told of the life-changing moment her partner ended up permanently paralysed after blowing his nose and fainting on the bathroom floor.
On January 2 last year, Kirsty Bronner, 34, and her family were home when she heard a ‘loud bang coming from their bathroom’.
‘I rushed in and found my partner lying unconscious on the floor. He had hit his neck and dislocated it causing a C6/7 spinal cord injury,’ Kirsty, from Sydney, told FEMAIL.
‘He had blown his nose and fainted, hitting his neck on the bathroom bench.’
Prior to the terrifying ordeal, on New Year’s Day her partner, who doesn’t want to be named, ‘had a feeling that something bad was going to happen’.
‘I will never forget him saying he felt like something bad was on the way. I look back now and it gives me chills,’ Kirsty recalled.
The accident occurred the very next day.
Mum-of-four Kirsty Bronner, 34, (pictured, left) had to put her business on hold following a freak accident that left her partner, 43, paralysed
On January 2 last year, Kirsty Bronner, 34, and her family were home when she heard a ‘loud bang coming from their bathroom’. Her partner (left) had hit his neck and dislocated it, causing a spinal cord injury
Her partner, who doesn’t want to be named, spent the next six months in the hospital and rehabilitation
At the time due to Covid restrictions, Kirsty wasn’t allowed into the hospital and had to wait a gruelling eight hours for an update as her partner, 43, underwent a six-hour surgery.
‘I was so sick with worry. Eventually they rang and said he had a neck dislocation from hitting the bench which had caused a spinal cord injury and wouldn’t know the extent of the injuries until they had done surgery and done tests,’ she said.
Meanwhile, Kirsty’s business The Booty Co – known for selling skincare products which women reduces their cellulite in a matter of weeks – was being neglected and she spent months feeling depressed.
The impact on Kirsty and her family was immense, and they all struggled to adjust to the new routine.
Kirsty was juggling mothering four children – Lucas, 16, Valentina, 7, Viktoria, 5, and Vitalia, 18 months – while her partner spent the next six months in the hospital and rehabilitation.
Prior her partner was fit, healthy and would run 10km a day (pictured before the accident)
Now he’s unable to stand, is ‘paralysed from the chest down’ and will likely never make a full recovery (pictured today)
‘The emotional and mental stresses caused was so severe that I could not tend to the business at all,’ Kirsty said.
‘We had a third-party warehouse to send out but everything else was completely halted.’
Her sister Felicity, who is the brand’s Creative Director, was also unable to work as she helped out with the kids.
‘I was so mentally strained I struggled to tend to my kids as best I could so Felicity would come and do a lot of house work and help with the kids, leaving her unable to do her part in the business as well,’ Kirsty said.
Today her partner has not recovered from the accident and is paralysed from the T1 level down – corresponding to nerves affect muscles, upper chest, mid-back and abdominal muscles. He previously ran 10km a day but now he can’t even stand.
The couple have been told a full recovery is highly unlikely. This means Kirsty has to choose what comes first everyday, but her kids, partner and business are always a priority.
‘I don’t really have down time for myself anymore at all. I put every spare minute into the business,’ she said.
‘I try and do things that make it a little easier such as order most things online like groceries, make sure I’m organised for the days the night before and get help where needed.’
Kirsty described the experience as the ‘toughest time’ of her life.
She has been able to start working on The Booty Co again in March this year the brand finally reached $1.2million in sales, which Kirsty was thrilled about.
Kirsty launched The Booty Co in November 2020 after three years of developing the perfect acne and wrinkle-fighting formulation
Kirsty and The Booty Co will donate $5 of every sale made off the website to Neura Australia.
Donations go towards spinal cord stimulator research with the hope of restoring movement in people with spinal cord injury.
Every year spinal cord injury costs $3.7billion in Australia.
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