QUICK QUOTES

Phantom pain:

“It’s hard for people to understand but I can actually feel pain from my (amputated) foot, my toes being pulled back, my toenails being ripped off, my skin bubbling and being burnt.”

Surf sports:

“It would just be my luck that a shark will attack me and take my left leg (loud laughter).”

Finding canoeing:

“I needed to do something because I was going insane. The water was therapeutic for me. When I was on the water I didn’t have my husband’s or children’s demands. It was all about me. The water was an escape.”

Whingers:

“I don’t have the right to say ‘Suck it up, look at me’ because their pain or stress is relative to them. Not everyone has the ability to approach situations like I do.”

Partner Fred Tanner:

“When

Mel sets her mind to something, you don’t have to motivate her. You’ve just got to set the bar high and the hardest part is keeping her in check because it’s all or nothing.”