A documentary on the story of Grant Wilson’s road to recovery following a life-changing injury has been named as a finalist in the Nova Employment Focus on Ability Short Film Awards.

On 16 August 2021, Grant was riding his bike on a local mountain bike track, when he slipped and fell off a ramp, breaking his neck and instantly paralysing him from the shoulders down. He suffered a C4 spinal cord injury and wasn’t expected to ever walk again, or even be able to push his own wheelchair.

Grant was determined to overcome his injury, and immediately got to work on his recovery. Today, Grant pushes himself in a manual wheelchair and can walk comfortably with crutches. He can even walk about 15 metres unassisted, and still enjoys swimming with his family.

The documentary is called “I’M NOT FINISHED YET”, a reference to how his faith allowed Grant to push through physical and mental barriers on his road to recovery.

“My faith and trust in God and his goodness has been foundational to my life and who I am,” Grant says in the documentary. “So as I lay in that hospital bed one night, with all the doubts running through my mind, I really felt God speak to me in a still small voice and tell me that ‘Grant, I’m not finished with you yet.”

You can watch the full documentary on the ‘Focus on Ability Film Festival’ YouTube channel.

Now in its 15th year, the Focus on Ability Film Festival is designed to encourage filmmakers to share stories from those with disabilities. The festival is run by an Australian organisation, and will feature 309 finalists from more than 17 countries.

The winner receives a $5000 cash prize from Australia Post, which if he wins Grant says will help fund his continued recovery. A festival screening will be held at the Liverpool Catholic Club in Sydney from 10:30am to 1pm.