When Katrina Lane-Krebs sat down to have a cuppa with another mother attending an intervention program for children with a disability, she sparked events culminating in her recent nomination for a Pride of Australia Medal.

Katrina is a forensic nurse, nursing lecturer and mother of 7 children, including a son with cerebral palsy who requires daily therapy.

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Katrina Lane-Krebs

She has a pilot's licence, is on the board of the new Children's Hospital in Brisbane, volunteers to provide disability advice for the Bundaberg Toy Library and is adding to her studies of criminology and nursing by completing a Masters of Letters program.  Her final paper for the Masters is focused on 'narrative therapy' as an intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder. It is entitled 'Dancing in the Spotlight - a creative writing approach depicting one family's lived experience with a special needs child'.

Spare time is spent sewing costumes for a local dance school.

The initial cuppa with Michelle Price turned into a weekly event and later inspired Michelle to study Nursing at CQUniversity Bundaberg, where she has Katrina as a lecturer.

"Katrina offered valuable information, encouragement and sources which would be helpful for my son and his disabilities," Michelle said.

"I had been having a hard time with coping with my child's diagnosis but having that cuppa with Katrina was the beginning of an uplifting transformation of my life. 

"As our cuppas became a weekly event, every time I would walk away feeling so much more inspired that I could improve my life and my thought processes were now becoming so much more positive.

"As time went on I discovered Katrina to be a very diverse character; it was unbelievable, each week I would discover another achievement of hers.

"When she mentioned that she was involved at CQUniversity, I thought well if Katrina has achieved so much with a large family maybe just maybe I could undertake an undergraduate degree."

Katrina's students recently contributed testimonials about her teaching style, describing her as "animated, energetic and enthusiastic", commending her use of props and role play and praising her attitude and helpfulness. They also welcomed the chance to meet mental health service consumers through Katrina's classes.

One student just described Katrina as "awesome"!