Her presence in a room ensures smiles all round.

From the kaleidoscope of colours she wears every day to her beaming smile, Emily is someone you won't forget.

You wouldn't know that she has endured more than most ever will.

In November, it will be 13 years since Emily suffered a horrific head injury and other multiple injuries including a broken femur while on board a bus travelling home from Nullawarre and District Primary School.

She was rushed to Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital where she underwent lifesaving surgery to remove part of her skull to allow for brain swelling.

It was replaced six months later.

In the years since, Emily has received extensive therapy and has learned to walk and talk again but still suffers from the effects of an acquired brain injury.

The 22-year-old is "a miracle in progress", according to her mother Sue.

Her penchant for colour and her "boho" style still shine through and she loves painting.

"She has a wicked sense of humour," Mrs Blake explains.

Hiding fake snakes and spiders around the family's Nullawarre house in a bid to scare her mum and father Danny is a favourite pastime, along with ensuring everyone she meets is given a nickname.

Warrnambool personal trainer Bear Dixon is known as 'Teddy Bear'.

These days, Emily has a busy schedule that sees her swimming at Aquazone once a week, boxing once a week, participating in a personal training session with 'Teddy Bear' one day a week, art sessions with Jenny Altmann, classes at TAFE and work at Tasty Plate in Warrnambool two-and-a-half days a week.

She's also Nirranda's number one fan, cheering on the players in the football and netball matches and attending club functions whenever she has the chance.

Even though she will never drive, Emily even has her own car - a Mini Cooper - that has been customised to her liking.

Mrs Blake said her daughter continued to struggle with the long-term impacts of having an acquired brain injury.

These include fatigue, limited mobility, mood swings, difficulties with speech and epilepsy.

Mrs Blake said more than 1.6 million people were affected by some form of brain injury - and it was often an 'invisible disability'.

Emily's speech was probably her biggest deficit, Mrs Blake said.

"Her speech is slow at times and difficult to understand," she said.

However, weekly speech therapy lessons with Julie Johnstone and currently Nicole Barker have made a massive difference and Emily loves conversing with every person she meets.

"We try and keep her as busy as we can," Mrs Blake said.

Sue and Danny plan to build her a house that she can stay at overnight with carers in the coming years and Emily is set to realise a dream by swimming with whale sharks in Western Australia in March next years.

This is thanks to the Starlight Foundation, who granted the wish.

Sadly, it was postponed twice due to COVID-19 and recently when Emily had an epileptic seizure and a fall.

Mrs Blake said her daughter had a positive outlook and was her bubbly-self 98 per cent of the time.

That has inspired her to help ensure her daughter lives life to the full.

"It was a long time of grieving and saying goodbye to the old Emily and embracing the new Emily," Mrs Blake said.

One thing Mrs Blake campaigned for was seatbelts in school buses.

"I always think good things come out of a tragedy and that was one good thing," Mrs Blake said.

Four years after the crash, the state government revealed every new and replacement bus would be fitted with seatbelts.

"Potentially Emily's injuries may not have been as severe (if she was wearing a seatbelt) but it is what it is and you can't look back," Mrs Blake said.

This law change resulted in preventing dozens of fatalities in a recent bus crash near Bacchus Marsh.

One thing Mrs Blake is disappointed about is that there are still some buses that don't have seatbelts fitted.

"Last week, there was an excursion to Port Fairy on a bus and I said 'if the bus doesn't have seatbelts, she can't go'."

Mrs Blake was advised the bus they were travelling on didn't have seatbelts, which meant Emily didn't take part.

"You put a seatbelt on your child in a car, but I can't believe you would be OK with them travelling on a bus, on these atrocious roads, without one," she said.

Mrs Blake is regularly amazed by her daughter.

She was right-handed before the crash, but taught herself to write with her left hand after suffering stroke-like injuries to her right side.

"She radiates joy," Mrs Blake said.

"The people of Warrnambool have been so wonderful - everyone has been so supportive," she said.

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