MANSFIELD resident Danielle Hutchins was competing in her first season of Australian rules football last year on the Benalla Saints women’s football team when the worst happened. Dannielle went in for a tackle with another girl which led to a tragic accident. Her partner Carla Hutchins watched the event unfold from the sidelines. “The girl dropped a bit lower and sent Danni flying about a meter up in the air and when she came down, she landed on her head,” Carla said. “You often hear about concussions or see them on tv and just think it will be fine and then the footballers come back and play a week later.” Danielle still doesn’t remember anything that happened during or following the accident. “She was knocked out cold,” Carla said. “That Saturday they raced her straight in for scans and she had two bleeds on the brain. “That’s when the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne got involved and they monitored her for a week in hospital, but she didn’t actually come back from the concussion until the Wednesday, and she was very confused.” Danielle spent three months recovering in the brain rehabilitation unit and transitional living services to help get her back to doing everyday activities. As a result of the accident, she has short term memory loss and can’t retain any new information. “Anything prior to the accident is fine, but since then unfortunately they had to let her go from work and she’s lost her licence, because she suffers from vestibular migraines,” Carla said. “They come on very quickly and she also suffers from BPV (Benign Positional Vertigo) which is a sensation of spinning or swaying which comes on in bouts. “The neurosurgeons at the Alfred said that if Danielle takes another knock to the head she will end up in a vegetative state. “She’s not allowed to play any contact sports at all, and it’s really disheartened Danni because she’s always wanted to play.” Danielle had big dreams for her career prior to the accident. “I was working full time at Mansfield Pre-Mix, and I was a concrete truck driver,” she said. “I miss it a lot as well as meeting new people.” Danielle has had to regain basic motor and verbal skills following the incident, but she continues to be positive. “I had to learn how to walk again; how to shower by myself; how to talk and string a sentence together,” Danielle said. Carla said Danielle has been in speech therapy, but she still has difficulty retaining information and getting it out within conversations. “She knows in her head what it’s supposed to be or what the word is meant to be, but trying to share what she is thinking with others is where she often gets confused,” Carla said. “Losing your identity, depression and anxiety is very common with this sort of thing and Danni has gotten to some really low places as a result of this. “She’ll put something on the stove and forget it’s on, so she must have carers with her all the time to prevent her from burning the house down or hurting herself. “We go to the Alfred every three months and there’s not a week that goes by that we don’t have an appointment with someone.” Seymour based mental health specialist Elizabeth Kruck said Danielle is doing everything she can to stay on top of her mental health and wellbeing against the odds. "Where she could have easily become bitter and overwhelmed by her experiences and hardship, instead she is courageously staying connected to community and bravely puts her hand up for support when she needs to," Ms Kruck said. Danielle is currently volunteering at the Mansfield Football Club, and it is her goal to raise awareness about how to minimise the risks of concussion in Australian rules football, such as learning techniques for safe tackling. “We say to girls starting footy always wear protection, head gear is a definite must and make sure you’re covered if an accident happens,” Danielle said. The concussion and brain health position statement released by the Australian Sports Commission in February 2024 said that in Australian rules football 80 out of 100,000 players will get a concussion. The Benalla Saints women’s football team has since shut down. The club was contacted for comment.
