THE GIRL WHO FELL TO EARTH
Emma Carey has been called “the girl who fell from the sky’’ after crashing to earth in a freak skydiving accident. Four years on, the Burleigh local chats to Inspire editor Emily Selleck about overcoming adversity.
Q Tell me about the date you have tattooed on your arm: June 9, 2013.
A. It is the date that changed my life and in a way I became a different person. I was in a really bad skydiving accident while I was on holidays in Europe and became a paraplegic. I have been indescribably lucky and regained the ability to walk but as you can imagine, the whole experience taught me a lot and changed my entire perspective on life. A lot of people thought it was odd that I would want such a “bad” date tattooed onto me forever, but the way I see it is that it is the date I could have died but didn’t. It is the date I realised my love for life and became the person I am today. I now call it my re-birthday. It is also a gentle reminder that every day I am on this earth after June 9 is a blessing.
Q
How did you handle the news that you may never walk again?
A. It was horrible. I have always been such an active and sporty person, so the prospect of never being able to do all the things which brought me happiness was heartbreaking. I remember thinking it wasn’t possible to live a happy life without the use of my legs – obviously I don’t think that way anymore – but I remember being more upset that I would never feel happiness again, rather than upset that I would never use my legs again.
Q What are the biggest physical challenges you’ve faced since getting out of hospital?
A. I think the biggest challenge for me was learning to adapt and create an entirely different new life for myself. I got home from hospital four months after my accident and realised that every single aspect of my old life had changed. I could no longer walk around the house I used to live in, some of the friends I used to have weren’t there for me, I wheeled past the streets where I used to run, I couldn’t go back to work: every part of my life had changed and I had to find a way to be OK with that. Learning how to find new things which brought me happiness and contentment was hard to do, because for 20 years of my life I had always just turned to sport and moving my body. I learnt a lot from it though because it taught me not to rely on certain things for happiness and that I had to find it within myself. That way it could never be taken away.
Q
You made the move from Canberra to the Gold Coast. What do you love about the lifestyle here?
A. I moved to the Gold Coast almost three years ago now. After my accident, I really just wanted to have a fresh start and create a new life somewhere. I have always loved the ocean and warm weather, so I thought the Gold Coast would be the perfect fit for me and I was definitely right. I love the nature, the people, the atmosphere, the chilled lifestyle, the weather … I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else.
Q
Tell me how your social media following has grown over the past four years.
A. I started sharing my story on social media because I have learnt so much from my accident and it has changed my life in so many positive ways, so I would love if other people could learn from my experience. I want other people to be able to take the lessons I’ve learnt from having a near-death experience, without having to go through the horrible parts. My following has slowly grown over the past few years and I have found that the more raw and honest I write, the more people respect and respond to my words. Recently I have starting writing more about some of the problems I face living with a spinal cord injury and I love having a platform to be able to raise awareness for some of the everyday struggles we go through that not many people would normally get to know about.
Q
What sort of messages do you get from your social media followers?
A. A lot of the messages I receive are from people telling me about their own stories. I think because I am so open on social media, people feel comfortable in being honest and open with me about their own struggles. I have heard a lot of extremely touching, sad, happy, beautiful, heartbreaking stories over the past few years and I guess my aim is to show people that it is possible to create an amazing life for yourself even if you have experienced something horrible.
Q
Tell me about your role with Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week (September 4-10).
A. This is the first year I had heard about SIP Week and when I found out about it I was so excited and thought it was a great idea. One of my main aims is to spread awareness for spinal cord injuries and the struggles people deal with every day and I think this is an amazing way to do that. I will be taking part in SIP Week with my family and friends at home and I will also be sharing the message with my Instagram followers and hopefully inspiring others to join in as well.