Sam Bloom Talk
Our Year 6 students were very privileged to attend a talk given by Sam Bloom on her life story. Sam took the students on a journey detailing her early life, how she became paralysed and unable to walk to, how a magpie chick became her unlikely saviour, and how she has become a talented sports person. The student also got to hear from her photographer husband, Cameron.
Our students also had the opportunity to ask both Sam and Cameron questions.
Sam Bloom’s amazing story was produced into a film called “Penguin Bloom”
On the 29th of June 2022, all of the year 6s from different schools went to Antonio Catholic School to see Sam and Cameron Bloom. Sam talked about how she had such a perfect life travelling around the world and giving birth to 3 boys until the railing she was leaning on collapsed, and she fell from 6 meters in the air onto concrete. When Sam got to the hospital, the doctors told her she had several fractures in her skull, broke her spinal cord, and was eventually told that she was paralysed. Then Sam started to talk about Penguin. Penguin was found by Sam’s family when she got blown out of a tree; then Sam talks about how Penguin helped Sam get through depression and pain and that Penguin left came back on one of the children’s birthdays then left forever. Then Sam talked about how she wanted to get back on the water, so she started kayaking to get her mind away from things. Then she spoke of trying to get back into surfing, which felt weird at first, but then she won 2 surfing world championships. Then Sam finally talked about how one Christmas, Cameron and some of her friends took her up to a special rock which she went to when she had terrible things going on. I thought it was inspiring and emotional to know that such a good life can turn upside down in one moment.
By Charlie
