Joseph came into this world two months too early. He was incredibly small and fragile—barely clinging to life, tiny enough to rest within his mother’s hands. Immediately after his birth, he was taken to the intensive care unit at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane and placed in an incubator, where doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to keep him alive.

Joe spent the next two months in intensive care. During that time he was tube-fed, too weak to swallow, and unable to move on his own. In those first difficult days he was carefully examined, and doctors concluded that he had suffered significant brain damage during birth.

When Joseph was finally released from hospital—around the time he should originally have been born, in September—the outlook given by the specialists was bleak. They believed that Joey might never walk, never talk, and might never be able to function independently in society. But life had other plans.

A naturopath once explained that the human brain is a mysterious and extraordinary organ—capable of healing itself and even reassigning functions to other, undamaged areas. Somehow, Joe’s brain seemed to do exactly that.

As you explore this site, you will discover more stories, photographs, and memories that reveal the life and journey of this truly remarkable man.