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Skydiving survivor's inspiring lesson

Wednesday 6th March, 2024

Emma Carey has stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale.

Her inspirational story will feature as one of the keynote speeches at the APHA 41st National Congress (APHA Congress) in April this year.

Not only did she survive an horrific skydiving fall in Switzerland that broke her spine and left her a paraplegic, but the Australian has also defied the odds by learning to walk again.

Recalling the accident that changed her life forever, Ms Carey said she thought she was "100 percent" going to die.

"I could feel how fast I was going, and I thought definitely, there is no way that it is humanly possible to survive this.

"It was very scary. I was 20, and I was on holiday and just went from that 'being on holiday, no consequences' kind of feeling, to this trauma – it was very, very scary," she said.

"I actually try not to think too much about it now.

"But I remember thinking afterwards that I have to do something amazing and magical with my life, because somehow I'm still here.

"I think my whole family bought lotto tickets in the week or so afterwards."

Ms Carey wrote a best-selling book about her experience called 'The Girl Who Fell From The Sky' and has rediscovered her love of travel and adventure.

"When I give a talk – and I hope this doesn't sound cheesy – but my themes are generally perspective and appreciation," she said.

"When I was first paralysed, all I could focus on was the negative, I was in so much shock, I was so upset. I couldn't fathom anything worse happening to anyone.

"But then a week later, I kind of had an epiphany, where I focused on what I still had, rather than what I had lost. And I realised how lucky I still was.

"When I was falling, I realised just how much I didn't want to die, which sounds silly, but you don't think about it until you're faced with it."

Ms Carey said she was looking forward to addressing a room full of medical professionals for the first time, when she gives the APHA Congress' closing keynote speech on Friday 12 April 2024.

"That's going to be so cool. I had so many amazing nurses in the spinal ward. The people who are there for you in those moments, you remember every detail," she said.

"And for these guys, they see this all the time – it's a regular Tuesday for them – but for you, it's a huge deal, and for the nurses who took that time, had that perspective, you could see it's not just a job to them.

"They gave me so much time, they never made me feel like I was a bother."

Ms Carey said she had also developed a bigger appreciation for her own body.

"Before, everything was just working for me all the time – not just my legs, but every organ, and my body was just an object to me," she said.

"Now, I realise how amazing it is. And when I did get out of my chair for the first time, I just wanted to do so many things – swim in the ocean, and go hiking, so I've become even more outdoorsy than before.

"This kind of accident can happen to you from something little – the woman in the bed next to me in the spinal ward just fell out of a chair."

Adaptability will be another theme of Ms Carey's speech, something hospital workers would be familiar with since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I have to use a catheter, and when that first happened, I was like, 'I cannot do this, I will never learn this' – now, it's as easy as brushing my teeth," she said.

"So, you never know what you are capable of doing, and it's so important to be adaptable in life."

The APHA 41st National Congress will be held on the Gold Coast from Wednesday 10 April to Friday 12 April 2024.

To learn more about keynote speakers and the important topics covered at this year's event check out the program.