Australian adaptive surfing champion Sam Bloom has inspired millions by embracing life after a tragic accident.
Sam and her husband Cam Bloom are cherished friends of the Body Image Movement. Sam and Taryn have shared stages, using their voices to inspire a more inclusive world, with Sam’s story of resilience after a life-changing accident touching hearts globally.
Supported by her family and friends — along with a special feathered friend they rehabilitated — the Bloom’s story has resonated worldwide through the international best-selling book and film, Penguin Bloom.
Sam’s story
Eleven years ago, life was joyfully busy for Sam Bloom. She had fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a nurse and enjoyed a vibrant life on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband, Cam, and their three sons, Rueben, Noah and Oli.
The family had an active lifestyle, surfing, hiking, and travelling extensively, where Cam captured moments as a photographer. But a tragic accident during a 2013 family holiday in Thailand with their sons changed everything.
While staying at a hotel, Sam unknowingly leant on a rotten balcony railing and fell six metres, suffering severe spinal injuries that left her paralysed from the chest down. After surgeries in Thailand and months of hospitalisation and rehabilitation in Australia, Sam returned home to be with her family — but life had changed immeasurably.
Since then, Sam has faced immense physical and mental challenges while adapting to her new reality: “Coming home was the moment when it hit me: ‘Oh my God, this is my life now’. I wasn’t happy at all, and I felt a lot of guilt as a mother. I remember Noah coming into the hospital and he was so angry, and I said to him, ‘Noah, this is shit — everything about it is shit, but we have to just make the best of a really shitty situation.’”
In the face of the devastating new reality, the young family bound together to help each other adjust to their new life. “We tried to involve Sam in everything we did as much as possible, which just meant taking longer or doing things differently. We were doing the best we could, and we continued doing things as a family, which was important,” Cam explains.
Road to recovery
As the family adjusted to their new reality, Sam faced the confronting challenge of life in a wheelchair and coming to terms with what feels like a very different body.
“I couldn’t touch my body or my legs initially; it felt squishy and disgusting to me, but I can touch my legs now,” Sam says of the changes over the years. “But I can’t say I’m at peace with my body because to me, it’s broken, and it causes me pain 24/7.
“The medication didn’t work, so I just have to accept that I’ll be in pain, which sometimes wears you down. It’s like, ‘come on, even give me one day, or half a day, of no pain.’ I’ll never accept it. Even with all the gold medals, movies and books … I’d give it all back just to be me in a heartbeat,” Sam says.
The power of nature
After Sam’s accident, Noah found a tiny, injured magpie chick that had fallen from a tall tree. Miraculously, she had survived, but needed immediate help, so the Blooms took her in and cared for her with help from a friend who was a vet and lots of research. The boys named her Penguin because of her black and white feathers, and she became part of the family. Her story inspired the best-selling book and film, Penguin Bloom.
“Penguin was with us for two years, gaining strength and exploring further. Our goal was always to rehabilitate her and return her to the wild. Looking back, the parallels between Sam’s recovery and Penguin’s are clear, but at the time, we were just in the moment. As a photographer, you couldn’t ask for a more rewarding project to document, I am grateful to have captured it all,” Cam says.
“Penguin was a great example of the power of animals and nature,” Sam says.
A different path
While the Blooms are honest about the tough reality of life after the accident, they’ve focused on what’s in their control and credit Sam’s recovery to incredible support.
“Sam living with these injuries is ongoing, and the pain and the hardships will always be there. But … I’m sure the support we received and accepted is directly related to the turning point in Sam’s recovery,” Cam explains.
In addition to the invaluable support around them, Sam credits taking up kayaking and being chosen for the Australian Paracanoe Team as the turning point for her mental health.
“That was pivotal — the boys were really proud of me because I was representing Australia, and I had a purpose. I was training all the time, and in a much better headspace. And my coach, Gay, became like my therapist by default,” Sam says.
These days, Sam excels in the adaptive surfing scene, winning multiple world titles and inspiring others with her determination to not be defined by the accident.
“As much as I say it sucks and all the negative things, I know, we’ve been very lucky. We probably travel way more now than we ever used to. We get to meet amazing people — like Taryn and Turia Pitt and Gill Hicks — we went to Hawaii recently for surfing and have just come back from Costa Rica for surfing. That’s pretty awesome!” Sam says.
We are incredibly grateful for the Bloom family’s friendship and their impact on creating a more inclusive world by courageously sharing their story.
