Community
5 August, 2025
Saving life of ‘gritty’ retiree
IT was in the early hours of a day in March last year when Anne Kippin – who lives alone – broke her left leg in a fall.
With her phone out of reach, the retired teacher grabbed her walking cane, using it to quickly switch her ensuite light on and off, in SOS morse code, cycling it every five minutes.
“I knew my neighbours always get up really early – and I’m talking about 3-4am,” she said.
“Combined with my loud teacher’s voice, they saw and heard me as soon as they woke up and came to my rescue immediately.”
The neighbours called Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance crew to rush Ms Kippin to Cairns Hospital.
Surgery soon followed to repair a shattered femur, including steel pins and bar inserted into her leg.
After six weeks of no weight-bearing in Cairns, then Babinda hospitals, Ms Kippin went to the hospital’s off-campus Sub-Acute Care Unit (SACU) at Manoora.
The 48-bed ward, located next door to the Infinite Care facility on Oregon St, provides care for older people and those requiring rehabilitation.
After successful rehabilitation Ms Kippin (pictured above) returned home, which during her absence had been transformed as friends had pitched in to modify her bathroom into what she describes as an “occupational therapist’s dream for safety”.
After a short stint back at home, complications arose. She faced a setback with a severe leg infection. She started suffering excruciating pain in both legs.
She was later diagnosed with sepsis – a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs, resulting in a longer stay in Cairns Hospital.
Multiple surgeries scrubbed out dead bone, replaced steel, and filled gaps with antibiotic-laced cement.
At one stage, the infection was so bad, she faced a potential leg amputation.
Fortunately, once she became well enough, she was eventually shifted back to SACU, both legs intact. This was followed by yet another surgery to clean out the infection and a third stay at SACU to undergo more rehabilitation to gain back mobility and independence.
“It feels far more like a home than a hospital. It’s nice to be able to look out a window and see a garden,” Ms Kippin said.
SACU occupational therapist Jennifer Baillie was part of the team that helped Ms Kippin with her rehabilitation.
Ms Baillie described Anne as a determined patient and a success story. ‘Our service continues to be patient-focussed to provide a holistic approach to patient care from our medical, nursing, support services and allied health staff,’ she said.
