Macmasters Beach artist and author, Nina Angelo, is recovering slowly from a serious fall early in October, with friends having set up a Gofundme campaign to help with ongoing medical and living costs.
The fall occurred while Angelo was in Melbourne to appear at ABLE (Authors Book Launch and Expo) for self-published authors, three years after the launch of her first book Don’t Cry, Dance.
“The expo was first scheduled for 2020 and after being twice delayed due to COVID restrictions, was finally held in Melbourne on October 7 and 8,” she said.
“These past three years had been rocky, with my book launch closely followed by a diagnosis of lymphoma and an extensive course of chemotherapy.
“I was really looking forward to the expo, because it is so hard for self-published authors to get the word out there and this was a wonderful platform.
“I was a little out of my comfort zone but once I got up on stage all went well and I actually won an award for Best Cover.
“Another of the authors invited my friend and I to spend a night at his home on Phillip Island after the expo and it was there I suffered a terrible fall in the small hours of the morning.”
The fall, which occurred when Angelo lost her footing on a staircase inside the home, resulted in a broken arm, wrist, shoulder, rib and toe and saw Angelo transported in several stages to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
After several days in hospital Angelo, who had driven to Melbourne with a friend, was faced with the problem of getting home.
“The doctors would not allow me to get on a plane and in the end two of the expo organisers drove me all the way to Macmasters Beach from Melbourne,”
Nina Angelo
With Angelo largely confined to her home for the next five weeks or so as her injuries continue to heal, she was overwhelmed to discover friends had set up the Gofundme page to help with the many expenses involved in her ongoing medical care and costs associated with her recuperation.
Ever the creative, Angelo has already written a poem about the experience and has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from the Central Coast community.
“While my spirit says this won’t get me down, my body is a bit shattered and as I try to stay positive, I have rediscovered how amazingly important it is to have such huge support base,” she said.
“So many people are alone when they go through things like this – it really does take a village.
“I can do some small things, but am relying very much on help from friends.”
With a new audio book of Don’t Cry, Dance just having been released, Angelo is anxious to be out and about to publicise it.
“I want to give this my all so I can move onto other things,” she said.
“I’d like to do another book – of stories and poetry – and am looking forward to taking messages of hope and love into schools.”
Donations to the Gofundme page campaign can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-nina-heal-her-body-and-spirit with almost $2,000 raised as we went to press.
Terry Collins