Life is
about opportunities; creating them and embracing them and for me that was the
Olympic dream. That’s what defined me. That was my bliss.
A Training
Bike Ride
As a cross
country skier and member of the Australian ski team headed towards the Winter
Olympics, I was on a training bike ride with my fellow team-mates.
The Perfect
Autumn Day
As we made
our way up the spectacular Blue Mountains west of Sydney, it was the perfect
Autumn day. Sunshine, the smell of eucalypts and a dream. Life was good.
The Part
that I Loved
We had been
on our bikes for around five and a half hours when we got to the part that I
loved and that was the hills because I love the hills and I got off the seat of
my bike and I started pumping my legs and as I sucked in the cold mountain air,
I could feel it burning my lungs. And I looked up to see the sun shining in my
face.
Black –
Blackness
And then
everything went black. Where was I? What was happening? My body was consumed by
pain.
Past
Perfect Tense – Passive Voice
I had been
hit by a speeding utility truck with only ten minutes to go on the bike ride.
A Rescue
Helicopter – Passive Voice
I was
air-lifted from the scene of the accident by a rescue helicopter to a large
spinal unit in Sydney.
Extensive
Injuries – Life-threatening Injuries
I had
extensive and life threatening injuries. I had broken my neck and my back in
six places. I broke five ribs on my left side. I broke my right arm. I broke my
collar bone. I broke some bones in my feet. My whole right side was ripped open
and filled with gravel.
My head was
cut open across the front and lifted back exposing the skull underneath.
I had head
injuries. I had internal injuries. I had massive blood loss. In fact I lost
about five litres of blood which is all someone my size would actually hold
A Really
Bad Day
By the time
the helicopter arrived at Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney, my blood pressure
was forty over nothing. I was having a really bad day.
Two
Dimensions
For over
ten days I drifted between two dimensions. I had an awareness of being in my
body but also being out of my body somewhere else watching from above as if it
was happening to somebody else. Why would I want to go back to a body that was
so broken?
A Voice
But this
voice kept calling me.
Come on
stay with me.
It’s too
hard.
Come on,
this is our opportunity.
No. That
body is broken. It can no longer serve me.
Come on. Stay
with me. We can do it. We can do it together.
A
Crossroads – A Metaphor
I was at a
crossroads I knew if I didn’t return to my body I would have to leave this
world forever. It was the fight of my life. After ten days I made the decision
to return to my body and the internal bleeding stopped.
Paralysis –
Being Paralysed
The next
concern was whether I would walk again because I was paralysed from the waist
down.
The Rest of
the Talk
Can you get
the rest? It doesn’t matter if you miss some. Listen and get used to her accent. Just focus on what you can
understand.
Anatomy
Make a list
of body parts and anatomical terms.
