Lawson Rankin reflects on three years of rehabilitation and recovery after Bali scooter crash

Lawson, 21, is looking out to the horizon as he explains that he doesn't like to look back.

His focus is on the future, and what he needs to do to achieve his next goal; then the next one.

But it has been three years since he was found, unconscious and partially underwater, in a drain after coming off a scooter during schoolies in Bali. Three years since his friends dragged him out of that drain and started CPR.

And three years since friends and strangers in the Hunter community, and beyond, got behind a big push to bring Lawson home.

In that time, Lawson has learned how to sit, how to stand, how to eat, talk, walk, snowboard and drive again.

The dramatic story of what happened that night in Bali - and the nail-biting endeavour to get him home safely via medevac - has been captured in a short documentary commissioned by Lawson's family.

The film, directed by Digital Video Lab's Glenn Leahy, was sent out to those who donated to the Bring Lawson Home campaign via GoFundMe on the third anniversary of his life-changing accident.

Lawson says that while he is still not ready to celebrate - he will not do that until he is running onto a footy field again - it seemed a good time to update everyone who had supported him along the way.

"It was awesome to kind of keep everyone up to date with where I'm at, because they gave so much to help get me back here," Lawson says.

"I watched it. But I don't like to look back at it. I hate seeing myself like that now. But it was kind of good, because I was straight back down into the gym after watching that. I have learned how to use pain as a driver."

It has been an emotional, mental and spiritual journey for Lawson, as much as a physical one.

"I know some people might say, 'I wish I'd done this', or 'I wish I'd done that'," Lawson says. "It's all about perception. We do everything for a reason. The good, the bad, and the ugly - is all for a reason. And we just have to find something in that - find a lesson, or find something to take from it.

"We either win or we learn. We don't lose."

A little over three years ago, Lawson and about 20 mates arrived in Bali to celebrate the end of high school.

It had been the trip of a lifetime; full of sun, sand and surf in paradise. Carefree.

Lawson had jumped on stage at a bar, joining the band to sing a rousing rendition of Wonderwall, by Oasis.

But that would be the last "normal moment" of the trip.

They were returning to their villa after a night out in Canggu when a rogue rider on a dirt bike snatched a phone out of the hands of one of Lawson's friends.

They had been using the phone's map for directions.

Lawson gave chase, and his mates - doubling on a scooter behind - lost him. It was dark. It was raining.

Then one of them spotted Lawson's red helmet lying in the grass on the side of the road, broken in half.

Nearby, his scooter was wedged upside down in a drain, still smoking from the impact. But they couldn't see Lawson.

"I just remember screaming, 'Lawson! Lawson! Where the f--- are you?", his friend, Jay Bailey, says in the short film.

They moved the scooter, and found Lawson in the drain below, lodged under a driveway. They dragged Lawson's lifeless, limp body out of the drain. His face was blue. His head was bleeding.

One friend wrapped a T-shirt around Lawson's head. The others began CPR.

Lawson made it to hospital, but he was on his "death bed". He was breathing, but he had suffered a severe head and brain injury, and his body was riddled with infections.

Back in Sydney, intensive care specialist Dr Gordon Flynn described Lawson's brain injury as one of the worst they had seen at Prince of Wales Hospital.

"He was in a very bad state," Dr Flynn says in the film. "The scan was not reassuring."

He told the family that Lawson may not recover at all, and may die due to his brain injuries, and if he did survive, he could end up in a vegetative state.

It was just the beginning of a long and challenging recovery. But bit by bit, and step by step, Lawson has defied the odds, and doctors' expectations, to make a remarkable recovery.

Now, Lawson is a picture of health.

Years of rehabilitation have supported his recovery, but his determination, his grit and his unwavering focus on his goals have pushed him through a wide and varied program of treatments and therapies in the past three years. Lawson is continually working on his balance and strength.

He uses virtual reality technology - at Engage VR - to keep his physiotherapy sessions more interesting.

He has also tried acupuncture, cranio sacral therapy, Medkey therapy, ice baths, meditation, chiropractic, dynamic neuro stabilisation, and salsa dancing.

Lawson focuses on fuelling his body with the best possible nourishment, nutrition and hydration.

Everything he eats, everything he drinks, the way he moves - everything is done with his goals front of mind.

"To do what hasn't been done before, you have to do what hasn't been done before," he says. "I just do everything, and if it works, I keep doing it. If it doesn't, I'll try something else."

Ultimately, Lawson sees himself running back on to a football field. For him, that's the goal - "the top of the mountain".

But there are a lot of cracks and crevices to step over on his way up.

"I just keep that in mind all the time," he says. "Knowing that there is a lot of work to do.

"There have been a few times I thought I was just around the corner from the top, but I still have a bit further to go, more to do.

"But I've honestly learned to enjoy the whole trip - all the cracks in the mountain, and see them as little puzzles that have a solution that is waiting to be solved."

Lawson explains that he breaks up his goals into smaller, achievable goals.

He has high expectations for himself.

"To run you have to crawl first, you've got to walk, then jog," he says. "It's like going up the stairs, seeing the top of each - one more, one more, one more."

Most days he wakes up, works out in the family's home gym or at the park down the road. He has been studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle, and getting his licence again has given him more independence.

As Lawson's father, Phil Rankin, says, these recent achievements may seem "enormous" in comparison to the family's early updates in 2020. Three months after the accident, seeing Lawson sit unaided, or moving his left fingers slowly on command, were big, important milestones to cherish.

"As each day unfolded there were tiny steps of progress," he says. "As he relentlessly tried every day, we would try to match his intensity."

Mr Rankin said Lawson's positive mindset, his wicked sense of humour, and his dedication to engaging the power of the brain's neuroplastic capacity has "astounded" them.

The family wanted to produce the film about Lawson's journey as a way to thank his supporters and update them on his progress.

"His challenges have touched many souls, with many hoping and praying that he'd thrive out of a tough spot," Mr Rankin says. "This film is in deep appreciation of the support and well wishes, and was created to say 'thank you' and demonstrate to many that their hopes were realised.

"The world needs a good news story every now and then to demonstrate what can be possible with the human mind and body given a strong will to do better."