Cheryl Koenig was born, and still resides, in the southern suburbs of Sydney. She met her soul mate, Rob, whilst still in school and married at the age of just nineteen. More than forty years later she is still very happily married and has two treasured sons.
Cheryl volunteers much of her free time assisting in development of government policy and services in the health care arena, as well as speaking at various Medical Conferences; Rotary and other Community Groups; Carer Support Groups and/or Disability Groups; including training days for clinical networks or those who work in the disability arena.
Through tireless fundraising efforts, she has helped raise over $300,000 for various health care services and non-government support groups, and she is passionate about advocating for carers to be validated for the important role they play in society.
Accolades/awards:
- 2008 Sassy Literary Award
- 2009 NSW Woman of the Year
- 2014 OAM (The Medal of the Order of Australia)
- 2014 Lifetime Member for Brain Injury Assn of NSW
- 2016 Lifetime Member for Sutherland Shire Carer Support Services Inc.
- Carer Representative for Carers NSW
And is an Ambassador for:
- The Australia Day Program
- Ambassador for ACTIVUS Transport
- The Friendship Foundation
“Thank you for being my eyes when I couldn’t see, for being my voice when I couldn’t speak, for giving me strength when I couldn’t walk. Thank you for loving me.” Jono’s Poem – Good Weekend, SMH, 2014 At the age of just 12 years old, Cheryl’s son Jonathan was involved in a horrific car accident and suffered an extremely severe traumatic brain injury. Jonathan was in a coma for six weeks and was given very little chance of survival. Doctors predicted that if he did survive, he would be unable to walk, talk or even eat again. Cheryl refused to accept this prognosis and set out on a relentless quest to save her son. Her fervent hope that he would one day be well again was poignantly expressed by his many school friends, who filled their school prayer room with hundreds of handmade paper cranes – symbols of hope and healing. The journey from that horrible day has been long and difficult, with road blocks at every turn. Not only has she had to fight to save her son, she’s faced many struggles in her role as his carer. Jonathan has since completed his HSC, a TAFE course and is currently learning to drive. He can walk well, and has just begun to run; he can snow ski; swim laps; play tennis and astounds many with his piano playing skills. All this as well as working five days a week in four part-time jobs. Cheryl has written about her remarkable son in ‘Paper Cranes: A Mother’s Story of Hope, Courage and Determination’ and chronicles her family’s journey through despair, denial and anger, to eventual acceptance and healing. This is her third book, having already written two books in a voluntary capacity for NSW Health Agency for Clinical Innovation. In 2006 she helped raise $160,000 for a new wheel-chair modified bus for Liverpool Hospital, and through proceeds from the book launch of ‘Paper Cranes’, she raised over $26,000 for services in the area of brain injury. She has also donated a significant amount from proceeds of sales of ‘Paper Cranes’ to various hospital foundations and non-government service providers.
About Cheryl and Jono’
