The blink of an eye, a heartbeat, a split second in time.
That’s all it took for Sam Bloom’s life to change forever.
An unlikely saviour
Once her condition was stable enough, Sam returned to Australia and braved her way through months of intensive rehabilitation. She craved a return to normal life, and was finally able to come home, only to fall into a deep and consuming depression.
Mourning the loss of her old life and no longer able to see purpose in her new one, she slipped further into hopelessness as her family watched on, helpless despite their best efforts.
A frail, injured little magpie chick became Sam’s unexpected saviour.
The ongoing journey to recovery
Penguin, as the boys named her, became Sam’s constant companion and over time she brought life and laughter back into the house where sadness had reigned.
From this, Sam found a renewed sense of purpose in taking up competitive paracanoeing, placing 13th in the world and winning two Australian titles before representing her country at the 2015 World Championships in Italy.
Today, Sam has reconnected with her love for the ocean and made a return to surfing. In August 2018, Sam was selected as a member of the Australian Adaptive Surf Team and has since won Gold for Australia at both the 2019 and 2020 World Para Surfing Championships.
The story that’s captured hearts around the world
Sam’s husband Cameron, a professional photographer, documented their experience with his images forming the basis for the international bestselling book Penguin Bloom, a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.
The story has now been transformed into a major film produced by Naomi Watts, with Watts also set to star as Sam.
A second book, Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong shares Sam’s personal perspective on facing and overcoming adversity.
Story excerpt from sambloom.com.au
Want to hear Sam Bloom share her story in person?
Meet Sam at the GenCollective International Women’s Day Luncheon on Friday 31st March 2023 at Merwether Surfhouse
