Tim Duncan was a junior doctor, on the brink of leaving medicine for a film making career, when he found himself in desperate need of medical care.

Lying by the side of an outback road, with critical injuries, he knew his only hope for survival was immediate medical attention.

In that moment, as his life was ebbing away, Tim made a pact: if he survived, he would devote himself to emergency medicine.

Introduced by Norman Swan, ABC Radio National Health Report

It's widely accepted nowadays that pregnant women shouldn't take any medication unless it's absolutely necessary.

But in the early 1960's that wasn't the case.

Reassured by their doctors, thousands of women around the world took the drug thalidomide as a treatment for morning sickness, only to be faced with babies born with catastrophic disabilities.

Born in March 1963, Lisa McManus is one of Australia's youngest survivors. She's leading a group who have taken their fight to Canberra's Parliament House, in a last ditch battle for recognition, compensation and an apology.