Case study: Julia

Julia lives in South Australia. Prior to 2017, she and her husband Jim rented in the city and both had jobs they loved. Then, their lives changed forever.

Completely out of the blue, Jim suffered two brain stem strokes that left him disabled, with impaired vision, unable to swallow and numb down his left side. He spent nearly three months in rehab and when he came out he was a full-time wheelchair user. 

“This came out of the blue and our lives have completely changed since that day.” Julia explains. “My husband’s been in a wheelchair ever since and was forced to retire early. I had a job that I loved and I had to give it up to be his carer.”

“You get to a point where you accept this is where it is at and there’s not going to be a change. Jim can’t drive anymore and for a time I was only working a day and a half at a medical clinic as I was his primary carer.”

The incident impacted every aspect of their lives. Julia and Jim were forced to cut back on activities that they used to enjoy, such as going out for dinner, socialising or going overseas. They were also constantly aware that they no longer had the ability to save and weren’t earning any superannuation. 

On top of all this, there was an influx of new costs that they now needed to account for. 

“My husband has three different types of wheelchairs - the biggest one is 150kg, which is why we needed to buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle. We didn't have any debt but were not in a position to buy one outright. When we went to look at vehicles there were just two options and the more expensive one was the one that fit my husband’s larger wheelchair.” 

That’s when Julia turned to Wisr. Julia was worried that she wouldn’t be approved for a loan due to her limited earning capacity. When asked to describe her borrowing experience, Julia said she had no criticisms of Wisr. 

“The borrowing process was far more open and friendly,” Julia recalls. “It wasn't dominating, making me feel bad about myself at all. Borrowing from Wisr was like a partnership. It was like they were saying, ‘we have faith in you’. It was a really amazing process. They did it willingly and with faith.”

Julia has also benefited from using Wisr App to manage her loan. Wisr App is full of additional support, finance tips, and ways to tailor your loan repayment schedule to fit your needs.

“It’s very streamlined and straightforward. I have Wisr App and it’s really encouraging as to how to pay back your loan. It’s refreshing to not feel afraid of this large loan and I feel as though I’m building a relationship with Wisr.

“I’m confident that I will maintain this financial relationship and the company has made the effort to keep in touch. They help you, make sure you're on track, and want you to succeed. It's a partnership.”

Julia’s Wisr loan has made a huge difference to her and her husband’s quality of life. Living an hour outside of Adelaide, buying their own vehicle has allowed them to regain their independence by giving them renewed access to their nearest city. 

“This is a piece of equipment that makes our lives comfortable. We live an hour away from Adelaide and it means we can increase our quality of life. Having our own accessible car has meant we can wander, and it’s given us a ticket to a bit of independence and freedom.”

Jim has since entered permanent full time residential care at a local nursing home, allowing Julia to return to work.

“It’s less than a kilometre away so we still see each other as much as we can. I’ve also returned to full time work. The car still plays an important role in our lives, probably more so now as I’m taking far more responsibility for my own health.”

Julia’s next financial goal is to buy a house. She explains that, “once upon a time the goal would have been being debt free, but now I think it's ok to have a relationship with a financial company.” She hopes that one day she’ll be able to buy her own house, and no longer have to worry about the possibility of a rental lease not being renewed.