Determined Victorian makes most of second chance at life Michelle Newland has recovered after a near-fatal asthma attack. DOCTORS told a Victorian woman, who had been clinically dead for 10 minutes after an asthma attack, that she would never walk - let alone run - again. But Michelle Newland has fought back, learning to eat, talk, walk. And she is now gearing up to knock off another major milestone by completing a 5km charity run. At 19, the Kings Park woman suffered a near-fatal asthma attack. Miraculously, she was resuscitated and, as a result, was left with a severe brain injury. But Ms Newland, now 30, has not wasted a single minute since she was given a second chance at life. At the time, her family received the devastating news that their daughter would be confined to a nursing home in a vegetative state for the rest of her days. But Ms Newland was a fighter. She made it home just in time for her 21st birthday and battled her way through re-learning how to walk, talk and eat. Ms Newland described feeling "trapped in a different body" but attributed her triumph over her condition to her headstrong mantra to "never give up." "I always had a determined spirit before my injury," she said. In life we just don't know what comes our way so we just have to accept it and move on the best way we can. Ms Newland previously aspired to be a teacher and now shares her journey at schools and functions as ambassador for The Summer Foundation, which raises awareness about the plight of young people living in nursing homes. She is still working to improve her memory, speech and fatigue but is shooting for her long-term goal to be fully independent. "I see my glass as half-full and I certainly focus on my abilities, not my disabilities," she said. Who knows, one day I might be able to drive a car and go out to work again. Ms Newland's support worker, Cynthia Racolini, nominated her for a Pride of Australia "courage" award. Nominations can be made until 5pm, Tuesday, July 16 at: www.pride ofaustralia.com.au