Emma Carey who nearly died in skydiving accident opens up about her spinal cord injury

A 25-year-old woman who miraculously survived a freak skydiving accident has revealed what it’s really like living with a spinal cord injury.

Emma Carey, from Queensland, was told she would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair following the horrific Switzerland incident in 2013.

But against all odds, the young woman found the strength to walk again just one year after she plunged from the sky.

Despite her remarkable recovery, Emma explained the intimate symptoms of her injury, including bladder incontinence.

Taking to Instagram, she shared a seemingly ordinary mirror selfie – but on a closer  look, her denim shorts are covered in urine.

Emma Carey (pictured) has explained the story behind her seemingly ordinary mirror selfie. The young woman has been living with a spinal cord injury where she suffers from bladder incontinence

The young woman was told she would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair following the horrific Switzerland incident in 2013

The young woman was told she would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair following the horrific Switzerland incident in 2013

‘This is what I look like every. single. day. Multiple times a day,’ she said. 

‘I think because I can walk, people tend to think I have completely recovered from my spinal cord injury but the truth is I still have many lasting effects, one of them being that I am completely incontinent with both my bladder and bowels.’

At first, Emma said she would hide out at her home so her friends and family would never find out about her problem out of fear of judgement.

‘I was so embarrassed by this and tried to keep it a secret. I didn’t leave the house because I was so worried that people would find out,’ she explained. 

‘I wouldn’t tell anyone why I had to be near a toilet at all times. I wouldn’t let anyone see my catheters or pads. 

‘I would run away and hide every time I had an accident. It was exhausting trying to keep it a secret, so instead I just didn’t let anyone close to me.’

The photograph taken just moments before Emma landed on her stomach with her instructor on top of her. She was left with a broken spike, shattered pelvis and spinal cord crushed

The photograph taken just moments before Emma landed on her stomach with her instructor on top of her. She was left with a broken spike, shattered pelvis and spinal cord crushed

Emma was told she would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. But against all odds, she found the strength to walk again just one year after the horrific skydiving accident

Emma was told she would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. But against all odds, she found the strength to walk again just one year after the horrific skydiving accident

But despite her insecurities, Emma said she soon realised she needed to accept the new part of her life whether she liked it or not.

‘It wasn’t long until I realised that if I was going to get upset and angry every time I peed myself, it would mean that I would be upset and angry every single day of my life,’ she said.

‘For the rest of my life. And that’s when it hit me.. I survived a bloody skydiving accident. I don’t know how or why but I know that it certainly wasn’t to live a depressing life. I owed myself way more than that.’

Now five years on, Emma said she has since learned to embrace her condition where her ‘bladder can only hold 100mLs before it leaks’.

‘I don’t think I have a single friend that hasn’t seen me pee,’ she admitted.

‘I tell people about my incontinence generally within 10 minutes of meeting them. And now I’m posting a picture of my pee covered pants to over 100,000 people without a second thought.

Emma has been documenting her carefree lifestyle on social media - and she has since accepted the new part of her life

Emma has been documenting her carefree lifestyle on social media – and she has since accepted the new part of her life

Five years ago, Emma's parachute and emergency chute became tangled during a dive and choked her instructor, who became unconscious

Five years ago, Emma’s parachute and emergency chute became tangled during a dive and choked her instructor, who became unconscious

Despite suffering severe injuries, Emma learned to walk again as she made a remarkable recovery

Despite suffering severe injuries, Emma learned to walk again as she made a remarkable recovery

‘The point of this isn’t for sympathy or for praise, it’s to show you that it is completely and entirely possible to not give a single sh** about the things that people expect you to care about. 

‘Just because we have grown up to believe that certain things are taboo or shouldn’t be spoken about, doesn’t mean that they are. 

‘Just because people think you should feel embarrassed about something, doesn’t mean you need to. Just because people might judge you on a certain thing, doesn’t mean you need to care. How you feel about certain situations is entirely up to you. 

‘If you own your life and all your “flaws”, they will never be able to own you. It’s the most freeing thing in the world.’

Five years ago, Emma’s parachute and emergency chute became tangled during a dive and choked her instructor, who became unconscious.

The subsequent free fall saw her land on her stomach with her instructor on top of her. She was left with a broken spike, shattered pelvis and spinal cord crushed.

Eventually, she began physical therapy at a Sydney hospital, which was when she slowly and steadily learned to walk again.



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