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John Grotta admits he felt helpless and trapped by mounting squalor as his life unravelled from being a successful professional to a shambolic, trembling wreck.
A year ago, the Daily Mail found him at home on a filthy couch surrounded by a growing pile of rubbish and an overpowering stench from discarded takeaway.
To add to the awful conditions, John had a string of constantly pregnant cats giving birth in his bathroom.
John felt like his life ended when he was suddenly struck down 'like a freight train', he said, by a debilitating neurological condition.
The former engineer craved order, neatness and precision - but instead found himself thrust into a burgeoning mess which had long since gone beyond his control.
His crippling condition left him unable to walk except with crutches, shaking uncontrollably, and unable to clean, shop or properly care for himself.
The busy social life he once loved had vanished because of his shame over his appearance, which left him shunning friends, and even his beloved grandmother.
Having once proudly helped build Sydney's Metro train network, John was now an adult trapped in a broken body without even the capability of a toddler.
John Grotta's life has been turned around, one year after the Daily Mail highlighted his plight
John Grotta was living in a squalid flat amid a sea of rubbish and the stench of old food boxes and pregnant cats as he tried to get the NDIS for his irreversible neurological condition
John could hardly walk on his crutches, let alone clean, shop or properly care for himself when Internet gardener Nathan Stafford offered to mow his overgrown lawns and tidy up for free
In an effort to pull himself out of his abyss, he applied multiple times for help from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, but was constantly rejected as 'ineligible'.
After the Daily Mail highlighted his plight, millions of Australians demanded to know why he didn't make the cut like the other 660,000 Aussies on the scheme.
John's medical conditions - Major Neurological Disorder and suspected Functional Neurological Disorder - are not on the list of ailments which qualify for NDIS support.
At the time, John accepted the NDIS decision but was frustrated and worried about how he was now going to cope with his permanent disability.
'It just s***s me to tears because I'm a high-risk fall person, so I can't really go out much or get a job because of OH&S concerns,' John told the Daily Mail last year.
'I can't jump on public transport because I might fall down stairs. I might twitch and hurt somebody else.
'If I hold on to a cup of coffee, the bloke next to me might wear it.'
But 12 months later, John's life has been turned around.
John, in the garden outside his new home, has support workers for his neurological condition and said living in a clean environment has improved his life and outlook on the future
John's rubbish-strewn old flat where he was too immobile to clean up and lived off Uber Eats and McDonalds amid a growing mountain of rubbish
Now only John's daily physiotherapy aids sit on the dining room table - and are strictly forbidden from cluttering his new living room where his life has dramatically improved
He has been rescued from his miserable existence at his squalid home in Ryde in Sydney's north-west - and life is finally starting to look up for him again.
Inside his bright, cheerful and spotless new unit, just 1km away in West Ryde, John, 38, told the Daily Mail this week: 'Everything changed when I got here.
'Before, I was living in a pit. I hated being in that home. They wanted to put me in a mobile chair, or a scooter, and I couldn't let that happen.
'Now I have a team of helpers and I love being at home, even though I go out to physio and psych sessions, and swimming and walking, and visiting my grandmother now.
'When your world is taken away and you become cocooned, you don't worry about your appearance. You have no real purpose, no real drive.'
The change began when gardener Nathan Stafford turned up to mow John's overgrown lawn for free after he was tipped off about his plight on social media.
A clip of the garden transformation caught the attention of the media, who picked up the campaign on John's behalf.
Still the NDIS wouldn't budge, but when the Mail followed up and contacted NDIS Minister Bill Shorten directly, the wheels of bureaucracy finally began to turn.
Despite John's natural optimism, seen (left) pre-illness, he felt hopeless and overwhelmed by his living conditions last year
John rarely left his stinking couch at his former home
The spick and span kitchen of John's new home is kept clean by support workers and instead of ordering fast food, he receives cooked meals which also cuts down on the packaging waste
'I got approved a week before Bill Shorten resigned as NDIS minister,' John said. 'The NDIS has radically changed my life, though not until I moved into my new place.
'I'm a positive person. But now I'm back to being myself. I'm presentable again.
'As much as I can, I'd like to give a message to others who might have lost hope, or lost themselves. Things can change.'
John's world fell apart five years ago when he started experiencing symptoms of his neurological disorder.
As a young man, he had been 'very physical', practising Taekwondo and playing rugby league as a hooker and centre during his years at Ryde Secondary College.
After school, John studied psychology and civil engineering at TAFE, and 'gained enough tickets' to be hired for the then fledgling Sydney Metro, Australia's biggest public transport project.
He worked 'hands on' building the massive tunnel, saying he was 'a proper tradesman', operating gantry cranes, as dogman, on rigging, on elevated high platform work.
'I was a very key player in that project. I had 30 blokes under me and worked 14 to 15 hours a day,' he said proudly.
John Grotta, pictured with his younger siblings, tried to be the head of the family after his father died, but after he was struck down by his incurable neurological disorder, he couldn't even care for himself
He fell sick in his early 30s, first with non-epileptic seizures, then 'a lot of falls' and feelings of paralysis.
He had lost his mother 'quite young' and then in 2023, his father George - a well-known 'bit of a knockabout' rugby league physiotherapist - died at 70.
On top of the grief of losing his last parent, John also lost his primary source of support as John's body continued to deteriorate.
In the gap left by his father's death, John struggled to care for himself, never mind keep his younger siblings together as a family.
'For me to ask for help, it's something I struggle with,' he admitted.
'Do I deserve it? I didn't know. But it's made my life a lot easier and I'm so grateful to all my support workers.
'Cleanliness really does help your soul. You breathe in different oxygen when the place is clean.
'It does ease the burden on your mind when the place is not a dirty mess and you can concentrate on doing therapy, eating healthily and going out occasionally to see friends.'
Happiness is a clean bathroom. In his old place, John was embarrassed by the state of his shower room which was populated by constantly pregnant cats, so appreciates his new flat
Each time Daily Mail visited John at his previous home, he apologised for the mess, saying it was 'embarrassing'.
'I used to be a neat freak,' John said at the time. 'I loved working hard and taking pride in my appearance. I had a partner who I expected to marry and have kids with.
'Now I can't go out and even socialise because I look so bad, and because I'm a danger with these involuntary movements.'
At his new flat, with one of his support workers Debbie in attendance, John showed off his neat new digs, recent haircut, clean-shaven face, new clothes and increased mobility due to physiotherapy and exercise.
'I had the world at my feet, I was doing really, really well - then (the disease) came like a freight train,' he said.
'I lost everything.'
John conducted a thorough clear-out during the move to his new home, choosing to keep only sentimental items.
He still maintains a sense of humour, but misses the active and physical life he had before he was struck down by illness.
Now he is even hoping he can find a job as he gets his life back on track once more.
John could barely get around in his old flat and because of his medical condition and depression was unable to care for himself properly or for his surroundings
The old hovel at Ryde (left) was strewn with clothes, food boxes and rubbish, becoming a health hazard, compared to the serenity of John's new place (right) just one suburb away
In his new, clean home, and with the help of support workers, John is more mobile and takes pride in his appearance once again which has boosted his outlook on life
'I'm doing different types of exercise. They're hooking me up to a harness to get me walking without my sticks,' he said.
'I have one worker who brings me cooked meals I can freeze, so I don't have to risk using the stove, cutting myself with a knife, or breaking glass and hurting myself.
'I did fall down in the shower, but I have a watch and can call for help.
'I can't be safe in a workplace, but maybe I could become an advocate, for the NDIS or for people with disabilities or conditions who are struggling in life.'
On his 38th birthday last month, his carer arranged a surprise brunch at a local cafe with an old friend, something he would not previously have felt comfortable with.
Despite his condition, John says he now radiates the energy he had during his engineering days, and support workers often have to remind him to let them assist.
'I find myself pacing up and down,' he said. 'I have energy to burn and that drives you nuts when you can't get around and go to the gym for a workout after a 12-hour day.
'But I'm getting fitter. I can't do some things, but on my tablet I use AI to do it for me.'
John has also drawn up an activity roster for his various NDIS supporters, which he admits with a laugh is 'breaking my (NDIS) co-ordinator's b***s.'
John Grotta is one of his support worker's favourite clients because of his humour, enthusiasm, politeness and warmth, she said
His support worker told Daily Mail that John was one of her favourite clients because of his humour, enthusiasm, politeness and warmth.
'He is a humble man, but I've seen his confidence grow, especially now he is out of that environment of doom and gloom,' said Debbie.
John had words of encouragement to anyone who might have experienced setbacks like himself.
'If there is one message, you have to stay hungry, you have to stay strong,' he said.
'It's very easy to feel hopeless, I lost family, my job, money, sanity and dignity.
'But have hope. If you want to, you can achieve things. There are a lot of things in this country that can assist you, it's a matter of ultimately being hopeful.'
