Until her late 30s, when she received a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), Emily Livingstone could very often be found up a tree.

The former arborist had a senior role at Kings Park Botanic Gardens in Perth , looking after the trees. It was work she loved and a life she described as “beautiful”.

“I would swing on ropes upside down with a chainsaw ... I’d teach at Tafe, showing council boys how to use a chainsaw or a chipper. They were always pretty shocked at that, when a little chickie was coming along, showing them how to do it.”

A few weeks ago, Livingstone celebrated her 45th birthday somewhere very different – confined to a hospital bed in the Royal Perth hospital, where she has been stuck for more than a month.

Livingstone’s inability to leave hospital is

See Full Page