Alexa Leary, a Paralympic gold medallist, has bravely shared the harsh reality of the brain injury she sustained in a cycling accident, revealing that she physically attacked her parents as they guided her through recovery.
Struggles After the Accident
The 24-year-old athlete was able to leave her hospital bed 111 days after her horrific crash and went on to win two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, along with three world championship titles. However, her time at home after the ordeal was marked by struggles with emotional regulation.
Leary often struck her mother and father as the brain injury left her unable to control her actions. She and her family have now detailed the nightmare they faced in a new documentary.
Loss of Control
'I would hit them, I would scratch them. I'd yell, scream. I couldn't control my anger,' Leary told News Corp. The Paralympian described mental health episodes during which she completely lost control.
'I don't remember much. Mum and Dad said they were going to take me to a home [mental health facility] because I was so aggressive,' she added.
Impact on Family
The situation significantly affected her extended family. Her father, Russell, recalled: 'When she got home, she became physical. Because she became angry, and with a TBI (traumatic brain injury), she can't control that. I would have black eyes. I would have blood everywhere.'
Her mother, Belinda, explained that her daughter struggled to cope with her new reality. 'Almost overnight, she'd turn into this angry person that wanted to belt us. The realisation of no hair, no driver's licence, I'm not an athlete anymore, just hit her so hard. She got so angry, and she would lash out. Russ and I copped everything.'
Role of Dr. Charlie Teo
Controversial brain surgeon Charlie Teo has been credited with helping Alexa turn her life around since the accident. He noted the change in her behaviour: 'There's something very extreme about her, so disinhibited and so raw. She'd say things that maybe we all think but aren't prepared to say, do things we would all like to do but are not prepared to do.'
Russell credits Teo's treatments with helping restore his daughter's short-term memory, which was destroyed by the crash. He said Alexa would scream at him and Belinda as she regularly lost things.
Signs of Recovery
'We've seen a major change in her,' Russell said. 'She would [yell at us] before, but then she would never say sorry. She now says sorry. Her whole life is changing, and we're feeling and seeing that in her now.'
'We can see that she's kind of navigating her way out of that darkness,' Belinda added. 'It's really enlightening to see how she's becoming more of the person that she always wanted to be.'
