Written by Celine Louie

This story is about a normal couple trying to get back to living a normal life, after a seismic shift.
Leigh and Emma Heerschop are certainly not alone in their experience—where a health situation so out of their control arises, forcing them to recalibrate their lives and their relationship to suit their new circumstances.

For some couples, this shift may happen gradually, giving the relationship time to adjust. For others, it may happen out of the blue, changing the landscape of their lives in an instant. It’s in how we respond to these challenges that our greatest strength reveals itself.

To understand their love story, we must backtrack to Townsville, where “they met in jail”—working at the Townsville Correctional Centre. Leigh, a chef by trade turned corrections officer, worked with the prisoners in the kitchen, teaching them to cook and arming them with the much-needed life skills they lacked. Being a keen fishing, camping, and hunting bloke, he found a way to connect with the inmates through food and shared interests. Making a difference in people’s lives seems to be Leigh’s mission in life.

Emma, a registered nurse for Queensland Health, also worked in the prison. They laugh together as they recall the first time they met, “over a Bain-Marie,” which led to some cheeky emails thanks to Leigh’s good humour—and an after-work drink soon after.

Their life together began easily—both working in corrections meant they were able to understand and support each other through the challenges of working in a close-knit yet confronting environment that most people in the outside world may not fully comprehend.

“In the jail scene, if you can’t trust your mate, you can’t trust anyone,” Leigh explains. “It’s like a brotherhood; you have to know the other officers will look after you.” Relationships must be solid to work in that environment.

They got married and decided to leave Townsville, heading back to Maryborough, where Emma had grown up. The stars aligned and Leigh quickly got a transfer to the Maryborough Correctional Centre, buying a 20 acre hobby farm to call home. Their life together started with a lot of hope and without too much fuss.

But the 3rd of October 2023 is the day it all changed for Leigh and Emma.

Leigh woke up feeling a bit off-colour and decided to take the day off. Emma, thankfully, was also at home despite a workmate begging her to pick up an extra shift—she declined, choosing to spend her day off with Leigh instead.

That’s when it happened—Leigh returned to bed with what felt like the start of a migraine, only to wake up three months later in a Brisbane ICU.

Unknowingly, Leigh had suffered a sudden brain aneurysm. The prognosis was not good.

Emma’s life was instantly thrown off-kilter. Everything they had planned for in the future was in jeopardy; the only sure thing was the “now.” In hindsight, her decision to stay home that day had saved Leigh’s life.

Leigh was admitted to Maryborough Hospital, and by a stroke of luck, a Brisbane surgeon agreed to take Leigh’s case on, despite the lack of hope. Emma only focus was that Leigh have quality of life should he make it.

It was in that moment that Emma chose not to be a victim. She made a vow never to ask what Leigh’s prognosis was, choosing instead to live in gratitude for today and hope for the future.

Leaving their peaceful hobby farm in safe hands, Emma stayed in Brisbane with Leigh. Being a nurse gave her an advantage, which she used to the best of her ability, watching over Leigh and turning up every day for the seven months Leigh was in hospital (his ‘jail’), advocating and being Leigh’s voice in his time of need.

Sitting here with Leigh and Emma, a short 15 months since it all happened, one can instantly feel the strong bond that has held them together, and the rawness of their ordeal. Leigh tells me with certainty, “Emma is my princess and my rock. If Emma wasn’t a nurse, I’d be dead.” Emma looks to Leigh with admiration and a newly learned patience. “Before this, we wouldn’t have put flat pack together without arguing, but this has been our get along shirt,” she tells me with a smile.

This road hasn’t been easy, but it has elevated their relationship to a new dimension. They are not the same people they were before that fateful day, but Emma tells me this journey has helped her become more spiritually connected. She knows they are being watched over and protected—there have been plenty of instances over the past year that have cemented her trust in the universe.

“We’ve got a really good friend, Sister Sue. She’s a Franciscan nun who also worked as a registered nurse at the prison in Townsville. I reached out to Sue when it happened, to tell her Leigh wasn’t well. I asked her to ask God to let Leigh know that whatever he decides to do is okay—that I’ll be okay,” Emma recalls tearfully.

“After Leigh had woken up and was able to start talking again, he recalled how Sister Sue had come to him, to ask him if he wanted to live or die. Lots of amazing things like that have happened. Spiritually, it has really opened my eyes.”

To this day, Sister Sue still messages Emma every single night, checking in and being a much-needed pillar of support. Leigh, too, is building a support team that is helping to speed up his rehabilitation journey—not to mention the strong support from his brotherhood of mates, cheering him on from the sidelines.

“Leigh had to get to know himself with the disability as well because he can’t do everything. He’s just not the same person he was going in,” Emma explains. Leigh’s healing journey has been nothing short of miraculous, but the brain damage he suffered has affected his short-term memory. He has a tendency to repeat himself, yet his memory prior to the injury is perfect. It also affected the left side of his body. He had to learn to walk again and to reconnect with his left side—and being left-handed, this meant even learning to write again. Something as simple as being able to write his name has been a huge achievement. Recovery will continue gradually over time, but Leigh will always need support.

Admittedly, the seven months Leigh spent in hospital were the hardest of his life. The confusion he felt was compounded by the fact that he had worked in a jail for so long. Unable to understand where he was at times, he experienced his own nightmare—living in a mixed-up world where he was often convinced that his stay in the hospital was actually a stint in jail.

When Emma left him to go home at night, he would forget that she had been there all day and spend the night believing that he was alone in prison. The numbness in his left side had him convinced that someone was climbing into bed with him at night, leaving him feeling terrified.

At first, Emma wasn’t sure what was going on, but over time, she pieced it together. “When he started walking around, the therapist put a walk belt on him, and he was posturing like he was in a body belt. It wasn’t until he started doing that, then I thought, ‘Oh my God, he actually thinks he’s a prisoner.’”

In order to help alleviate Leigh’s confusion, Emma left signs on the wall as reminders. When she discovered the nightime confusion came from not being able to read the signs in the dark, she brought in a glow up a sign to leave him much needed reminders that everything was okay.

Leigh’s long hospital stay eventually reached a point where he couldn’t thrive any longer- he desperately needed his jailbreak. Leigh and Emma pushed for him to be discharged early. Missing a large part of his skull due to excessive swelling, he gratefully returned home to his sanctuary—their hobby farm, wearing a helmet for protection.

Today, Leigh and Emma spend their days working on his rehabilitation and tending to their beloved animals. Despite the hardships, it’s clear that being out in nature and embracing the simple farm life has become a healing balm for the trauma of the past year.

Their new future together has only just begun, and while Emma never imagined she would become Leigh’s full-time carer—certainly not before the age of 40—she’s taking it all in her stride.

“I like Leigh 2.0. I think he’s a far superior ‘being’ than the original Leigh. I didn’t realise the original Leigh was my soul mate, but I know now. I guess my focus now is on helping him make consistently good decisions and regain some independence so he can do things alone and be on his own for periods of time—quality time for both of us.”

Leigh still has a very long way to go in his recovery, but he is adamant that his life was saved for a reason. His mission is to continue making the world a better place. While he’s still unclear how that will show up long-term, he’s going to start by growing sunflowers in his pig paddock and delivering them in his pride and joy—his 1974 F350 truck—bringing joy to those around him.

These days, every day is a good day for Leigh—he’s just grateful he woke up!

Note: If there is one thing Emma would like to stress to readers, it’s the importance of having a will and an enduring power of attorney- as well as income protection and insurances. You never know what may be around the corner, and having these in place will mitigate the stress left on loved ones during times of crisis.