A young woman went to a university party only to wake up a week later in hospital without her leg.
Monique Murphy, who was just three weeks into her degree, fell 20 metres off a fifth floor balcony and through a glass house which ultimately changed her life forever.
The then 19-year-old woke after spending a week in an induced coma where surgeons had amputated her foot – who weeks later amputated half her leg.
‘I don’t remember anything … I’m incredibly lucky to be alive. I’m incredibly lucky to be walking to have full brain function,’ Ms Murphy previously told ABC News.
Monique Murphy (pictured) went to a university party only to wake up a week later in hospital without her leg
The then 19-year-old (pictured), who was just three weeks into her degree, fell 20 metres off a fifth floor balcony and through a glass house which ultimately changed her life forever
The athlete, who won silver at 2016 Rio Paralympics, woke after spending a week in an induced coma where surgeons later amputated half her leg (pictured)
Ms Murphy, now 24, had broken her jaw in two places, broken her left collar bone, broke three ribs, had a left knee reconstruction and had severed about 30 per cent of her tricep tendon.
While the Australian paralympian’s parents initially thought their teenager daughter had tried to commit suicide, doctors believed her drink had been spiked with a roofie-style drug.
Doctors told the young athlete her broken jaw saved her from sustaining a brain injury and her foot injury saved her from injuring her spine.
The New Zealand national, who went on to win silver at 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, endured eight surgeries during the six weeks she was at Royal Melbourne Hospital four years ago.
‘Exactly one month after the final amputation, Monique was not only standing and taking her first steps with her prosthetics, but was back in the water commencing hydrotherapy,’ Ms Murphy’s blog read.
The 24-year-old, who grew up in water, said she was herself again when she used hydrotherapy in rehab.
‘The freedom and movement that I have in the water is just so invigorating for me and playing a huge role in my rehabilitation,’ she said.
‘It helped me sleep better, it cut my pain in half.’
The New Zealand national (pictured) endured eight surgeries during the six weeks she was at Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2014 and a year later she qualified for the Australian swim team
Two years after the horrific accident, Ms Murphy (pictured), who was then ranked in top three, had set an Australian record and was half a second off beating the world 400 metre record
A year later, Ms Murphy had qualified for the Australian Dolphins Swim team and was on the way to Glasgow IPC World Championships before representing the country at the Paralympic Games in 2016.
‘One the first year anniversary of my accident, I competed in the 400 metre freestyle and qualified for world championships, something I didn’t expect at all,’ she told Cosmopolitan.
‘Growing up, it had been my dream to go to the Olympics and now I was … minus a leg.’
Two years after the horrific accident, Ms Murphy, who was then ranked in the top three, had set an Australian record and was half a second off beating the world 400 metre record.
‘Losing my leg has been a life changing experience … but I love what I’m doing now. No doors have been shut to me, if anything they’ve been opened,’ she said.
Ms Murphy said losing her leg was a ‘life changing experience’ which ultimately opened more doors for her in following her Olympic deams