Student Fletcher Crowley a shining example of pupils in its care
Fletcher Crowley started lessons at the RNS Hospital School just four weeks after becoming a paraplegic. The 17-year-old lost the function of his legs after landing a mountain bike jump badly in September last year. The Manly Vale local broke his T9 and T10 vertebrae and severely damaged his spinal cord, spending two weeks in the hospital intensive care unit. He remains paralysed from the waist down and has still not returned permanently home.
Despite his horrific injuries, Fletcher was keen to start his Year 12 studies in hospital, just as he was scheduled to do before the accident. While he missed his final Year 11 exams at Northern Beaches Secondary College (Balgowlah Boys campus), he was able to start Year 12 with the help of the RNS Hospital School (RNSHS).
Now in its 100th year, the school was one of four in NSW set up to educate patients and those who were ‘housebound’ due to illness.
Siobhan King, relieving teaching principal of the school, said its key function was to ensure continuity of learning while children were in the hospital or in care. Children can access one of the four teachers either on their own ward or at the school’s specially-designed classroom.
Relieving teaching principal Siobhan King.
Siobhan was Fletcher’s PDHPE teacher for eight weeks at RNSH during term 4 last year, and says her pupil is ‘incredible’.
“He’s one of the most resilient young men I have ever met,” Siobhan says. “He is doing everything he is being asked to do. He has an infectious personality and is an inspiration.”
While Fletcher has now moved to Royal Ryde Rehabilitation Hospital for ongoing treatment, he will still do lessons through the RNS Hospital School. He says his daily routine while at RNSH involved two hours of lessons in a room in his ward, and occasionally attending the colourful classroom in the school, which is in another building of the hospital.
“I’m doing everything all my mates are doing at school. It’s good I’m following along with all of them so I won’t miss anything when I get back. But I guess the only difference is it’s one-on-one, so I’d say I’m learning a lot more.”
Teachers from Balgowlah Boys are in constant contact with Fletcher as he tackles three of his HSC subjects – PDHPE, mathematics and multimedia. His rehabilitation schedule is gruelling, hence the reduced subject load. While Fletcher ‘can’t wait’ to go back to Balgowlah Boys and see all his mates, he is glad to have the option to continue his studies. “I enjoy it because it brings normality. It helps fill out my day so I don’t get bored.”
While the accident was a shock for the Crowley family, mother Nicky says Fletcher has taken it all in his stride. “He’s just getting right back into it. He’s not hiding at all, which as a parent, you get afraid that he’ll be embarrassed about certain things, but he is not.” This includes attending a birthday party recently and having to climb a whole lot of stairs to get there – assisted by his mates. Friends have been a great support, visiting Fletcher daily and keeping him supplied with his favourite treats.
Now that Fletcher is at Ryde, he does school via Zoom with the RNS hospital school. Once his house in Manly Vale has been adapted for his needs, Fletcher will move home. In the meantime, his aim is to complete one day a week at Balgowlah Boys this term, and he is getting his adaptive driving licence so he can eventually drive himself to school.
Fletcher with his math teacher Mitch Bowman.
Since the accident, Fletcher has set many goals – like to one day cycle from Perth to Sydney to raise money for spinal cord research – and has already raised $3,000 selling ‘Get Silly’ t-shirts for the same purpose. He reflects: “My accident just made me realise it is one day at a time and I’ve just got to go on and not look back. I just keep a positive mindset and take it as it comes.”
Follow Fletcher’s story on Instagram: @fletchcrowley_ and to buy t-shirts: getsillyco.com