Up until I had a stroke, I thought I was pretty much invincible

"I am a mom to three amazing children. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and love of my life. I feel like I have everything I ever dreamed of," says Sharné.

"MY LIFE CHANGED ON 23 AUGUST 2015."

"Until that point, I thought I was pretty much invincible. I was 35 years old, fit, and healthy; and living my best life," she reflects.

"I had played at the Olympics in Athens [in 2004] and was already successful in my physiotherapy career as a practice owner."

Things were going well. Life couldn't be more picture-perfect for Sharné. Every goal she set out to achieve, she did. She was happy. What happened next was most certainly not a goal she had in her sights.

"It was during a hockey match when everything changed. During half time I felt something change in my head and I suddenly lost my speech. My face dropped and I lost all control of my right hand and leg."

"My coach and Exercise Scientist, Georgia Torres - diagnosed it immediately as a potential stroke, and she was correct. If she hadn't been there that day things could have ended a whole lot worse. I was rushed to the hospital, and the stroke or L-CVA (left sided cerebrovascular accident) was confirmed," Sharné reflects.

"AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THE 2004 OLYMPICS IN ATHENS IN 2002, I WAS ADVISED THAT WE GET SOME INSURANCE AS OUR HANDS WERE NOW OUR LIVELIHOOD."

"At that point, I was fortunate that I already had a good broker who managed my whole portfolio. She set up all my products with Discovery and made sure I was comprehensively covered," shares Sharné. "I have been insured for 20 years."

As a Discovery Life client, Sharné has both disability cover and income protection benefits on her life insurance plan. "I have the Health Plan Protector. I also have the Global Education Protector Benefit for my children." Sharné is also a Discovery Insure client, as well as Discovery Health and Vitality member.

"MY IMMEDIATE SUPPORT FROM DISCOVERY WAS AMAZING."

"I received my first disability claim pay-out within a week," she says.

"I believe that this was made possible by my amazing team who were all 100% invested in me as their client. They also had a good understanding of the products."

"The team at Harbour Wealth and Fiona, my risk analyst, were a godsend and managed the whole process when I couldn't. I will be forever grateful to them."

"THANKFULLY MY CONDITIONING AND FITNESS LED TO A QUICK RECOVERY."

Sharné's speech recovered quickly. She also started to regain use of her right hand without too much difficulty. "My leg needed 9 months of rehabilitation to get functionality as close to normal as I possibly could," she shares.

Like a reflex, her sports training and conditioning kicked in. Her ability to be resilient despite a challenge and adopt a positive attitude worked in her favour at the time she really needed it. She also had strong support system, including her family and business partner, Bronwen Henchie; and even her Harbour Wealth advisory team, Fiona Butler (Risk Specialist) and Melissa Dyer (Financial Adviser), who got her through these initial days of recovery.

"I returned to work and started seeing clients slowly. It was almost like nothing major had happened to me." Sharné was - in a sense - back on her feet. "The stroke was almost insignificant," she says. At the time, it felt like perhaps she had avoided the worst possible outcome and her road to recovery wouldn't be as tough as she could have imagined.

"I WAS WRONG. TWO YEARS LATER, I STARTED HAVING SEIZURE EPISODES."

The injury that had occurred in her brain was indeed more significant than she first realised. Something had changed in her body, and it made her realise that her recovery was in no way yet over.

"I couldn't operate and be functional at the pace and intensity I could be before. My workload was too much. It was at this point that we started the claim process for income protection support. Once again, Fiona took the initiative and managed the whole process when I couldn't."

"I was soon under the care of a rehabilitation team - My neurologist, hand occupational therapist, psychiatric occupational therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist and craniosacral physiotherapist."

"It was exhausting to get to everyone, while trying to work and be there for my family. I wasn't coping and spent whole weeks in what they called, postictal states after I had my seizure events." Postictal states refer to an altered state of consciousness following such events, which begins when a seizure subsides and ends when a person returns to baseline.

IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT SHARNÉ'S INCOME PROTECTION BENEFIT WAS ALSO ACTIVATED

"Discovery started paying me from my Income Protection Benefit, while I was undergoing medical assessment. This was life changing and gave us a light at the end of the tunnel."

"I now receive monthly support from this benefit which I cannot thank Discovery Life and my broker team enough for. With this support I have achieved better balance in my life and have started to excel in the various aspects of my life again," she says.

"I AM STILL ABLE TO DO WHAT I LOVE AND SEE A FEW PATIENTS EVERY DAY."

While Sharné can't see as many patients in her practice as she could before her stroke, she is very much able to continue practicing physiotherapy - doing what she loves.

"I also get to be with my children now and participate more actively in their lives again. I'm back playing some social hockey and finding ways to give back to the sport alongside my friends on the management side of things. This has kept me involved, which is great for me."

"I GET TO BE ME, BUT PERHAPS A NEWER, CHANGED AND BETTER VERSION."

"My limitations have allowed me to focus on other areas of myself that were perhaps previously neglected."

Sharné's stroke was completely unforeseen, coming without obvious warning. The cover she had ensured to have in place turned out to be the life-changing factor that helped her and her family to be more financially secure while she worked hard to recover her quality of life - not just for herself, but for her husband and children too.

"Without Discovery, my financial adviser team - Fiona Butler and Melissa Dyer, all my specialists and my loved ones - my people - I would be in a very different situation today. I will be forever grateful. To everyone, I say the most heartfelt of 'thank you's'," she concludes.