WEBVTT - Best of Head Game: The Day That Changed Everything

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<v Speaker 1>We'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land

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<v Speaker 1>on which this podcast was produced, the Gadigall people of

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<v Speaker 1>the Urination. We pay our respects to Elder's past and present.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi and here, I'm taking a Christmas break and we'll

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<v Speaker 2>be back with more head Game stories on the twenty

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<v Speaker 2>second of January. I thought this would be a great

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<v Speaker 2>chance to take a look back at some of the

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<v Speaker 2>amazing stories we heard last year. In this episode, you're

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<v Speaker 2>here from three people who fought their lives, were heading

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<v Speaker 2>in one direction and then one day changed it all

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<v Speaker 2>for them. Firstly, you're here from comedian Simon Kennedy, who

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<v Speaker 2>received a devastating call in two thousand and one.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 4>So two thousand and one. So I was living with

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<v Speaker 4>my girlfriend who is now my wife. I'd gone to bed.

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<v Speaker 4>It was late and it was tennish at night and

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<v Speaker 4>I I think I'd had a few drinks. I'd hit

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<v Speaker 4>the hay. Then my phone rang and my wife she said,

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<v Speaker 4>answer your phone. I went, I don't want to go

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<v Speaker 4>to im and go to sleep. She goes, it's your

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<v Speaker 4>brother calling.

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<v Speaker 2>Don't worry about it.

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<v Speaker 4>And he was calling from London. He lived in London.

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<v Speaker 4>He didn't ring very often. It was very rare. Maybe

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<v Speaker 4>on my birthday that'd be it. But I didn't want

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<v Speaker 4>to answer the phone. But my wife made me. She

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<v Speaker 4>made me answer.

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<v Speaker 5>She has come on.

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<v Speaker 4>I picked up the phone and I was pretty drowsy,

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<v Speaker 4>and he said, hey, there have you been watching the news?

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<v Speaker 4>I went, no, No, I've gone to bed. He goes,

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<v Speaker 4>there's some stuff going on in America. There's some planes

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<v Speaker 4>have hit some buildings, and I'm just a bit worried

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<v Speaker 4>about mum because she's on holidays over there. Mum had

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<v Speaker 4>gone on a bit of a retirement trip through the

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<v Speaker 4>US and Canada and all that sort of thing, so

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<v Speaker 4>she was over there. I'm always a bit like, oh, god,

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<v Speaker 4>like seriously, like, what are the odds in a country

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<v Speaker 4>of three hundred million people and you expect that our

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<v Speaker 4>mum's caught up in something like that?

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<v Speaker 2>But anyway, is that what went through your head? What

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<v Speaker 2>are the odds?

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<v Speaker 4>And you were just like yeah, like I mean, honestly,

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<v Speaker 4>I mean, logically speaking, I'm like, come on, I'm like, really,

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<v Speaker 4>I want to go to sleep here. But my wife said, oh,

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<v Speaker 4>come on, let's this is serious. I said, yeah, Well,

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<v Speaker 4>I'd seen my mum a few weeks before the day

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<v Speaker 4>before she left, and she handed me her itinerary, which

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<v Speaker 4>she would always do. She was very prepared, worst case scenario.

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<v Speaker 4>She was on top of it all. She had all

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<v Speaker 4>all that going on. So she gave me her itinerary and.

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<v Speaker 2>It was weird.

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<v Speaker 4>It was weird because she always she had a dark

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<v Speaker 4>sense of humor her self. I said, she gave it

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<v Speaker 4>to me, and she said, what, I don't need this.

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<v Speaker 4>She said, oh, no, it's just in case the terrorists

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<v Speaker 4>kept me or something. And that was the kind of

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<v Speaker 4>dark humor she had. I went to the itinerary, I

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<v Speaker 4>checked out where mum was supposed to be at that

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<v Speaker 4>particular time. I told my brother, I said, looks like

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<v Speaker 4>she's leaving Washington on American Airlines flight seventy seven. I

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<v Speaker 4>remember the silence and the moment is there. He said,

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<v Speaker 4>I think that's one of them. And then I just

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<v Speaker 4>went and turned on the TV and we had a

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<v Speaker 4>look at what was going on, and yeah, they started

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<v Speaker 4>reporting on flight seventy seven having hit the Pentagon and

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<v Speaker 4>that started the rest of my life. And it was

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<v Speaker 4>it was a long It was a long night.

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<v Speaker 2>My next guest is Sam Bloom. Sam was in Thailand

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<v Speaker 2>with her husband and three sons when their family holiday

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<v Speaker 2>soon became a nightmare.

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<v Speaker 5>On our second day, we'd been swimming, and we'd actually

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<v Speaker 5>planned to hire bikes and ride up to a fishing

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<v Speaker 5>village which was about two kilometers away. And so beforehand,

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<v Speaker 5>one of the kids, we'd had breakfast, and then the

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<v Speaker 5>boys got a juice and one of the kids saw

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<v Speaker 5>like a staircase going up onto this big flat rooftop.

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<v Speaker 5>And so three years go up there and check out

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<v Speaker 5>the view, drink our juices before we go riding, and so, yeah,

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<v Speaker 5>we went up the stairs. And I actually don't have

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<v Speaker 5>any memory of even going up the stairs. And apparently

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<v Speaker 5>I learned on the railing and it had dry right,

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<v Speaker 5>but I didn't realize. So I leant for it obviously

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<v Speaker 5>backwards and fell six meters and yeah, broke my back

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<v Speaker 5>and sustained numerous other injuries. That was our fourth day

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<v Speaker 5>of our holiday.

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<v Speaker 2>Fourth day of your holiday. Everything's going well. The kids

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<v Speaker 2>are loving it, You're loving it. The children are up there.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that correct?

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<v Speaker 2>So the children do they witness you for six meters

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<v Speaker 2>onto the ground?

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, they saw, Well, a couple of them just saw

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<v Speaker 5>my feet go over and then they heard the crashing case.

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<v Speaker 5>It was like a metal railing and then so yeah,

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<v Speaker 5>they all ran down, and yeah it was horrific. I mean,

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<v Speaker 5>I obviously knocked myself out. I freshened my skull, so

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<v Speaker 5>I was like bleeding from my head and oh, I'd

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<v Speaker 5>bit through my tongue so there was blood coming out

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<v Speaker 5>of my mouth. Yeah. Yeah, I was just lying there

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<v Speaker 5>unconscious and gurgling because I had a lot of internal

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<v Speaker 5>bleeding in my lungs and stuff just from the force

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<v Speaker 5>of falling. So yeah, it was It was horrible because

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<v Speaker 5>you know, it's pretty horrific to like run down the

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<v Speaker 5>stairs and then see your mom like lying unconscious bleeding.

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<v Speaker 2>Especially when you're going from one extreme to the other.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, you're havingough time of your life and and

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<v Speaker 2>and then that literally gets flipped upside down from having

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<v Speaker 2>you know, all smiles, laughing and loving life to life's

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<v Speaker 2>going to change from this moment onwards.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, and it split second everything changed. Yeah, So no,

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<v Speaker 5>it was terrible. So then Cam rolled me over because

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<v Speaker 5>I landed on my back and that's how I hit

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<v Speaker 5>my head as well. And then he rolled me over

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<v Speaker 5>and he saw this massive lump on my back and

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<v Speaker 5>he started yelling for an ambulance, and yeah, it was horrible.

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<v Speaker 5>I mean, I don't remember it, but it must have been. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 5>it would have been horrific for the kids.

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<v Speaker 2>And Cam absolutely. What was your if you don't mind

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<v Speaker 2>talking about, what's your first memory of realizing that you'd

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<v Speaker 2>been in an accident.

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<v Speaker 5>Yeah, no, my first memory was probably two days after

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<v Speaker 5>and my mom and my sister had come to Thailand

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<v Speaker 5>to see me, and so at first after the accident,

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<v Speaker 5>I was taken just to a little regional hospital and

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<v Speaker 5>they were trying to stitch out my head and X

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<v Speaker 5>ray me, and they're kind of like, yeah, it's not

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<v Speaker 5>looking good, and so they put us all in an

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<v Speaker 5>ambulance and drove us another three hours up to a

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<v Speaker 5>private hospital.

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<v Speaker 2>And you can't remember any of this, man, I don't.

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<v Speaker 5>Remember, no, not one. But I know, well, I was conscious.

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<v Speaker 5>Apparently I was saying to Cam, I can't feel my legs,

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<v Speaker 5>but I don't remember that. And so, yeah, it would

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<v Speaker 5>have been a couple of days after the accident and

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<v Speaker 5>I woke up. I remember seeing my mom and sister

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<v Speaker 5>there and I'm like, what are you guys doing here?

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<v Speaker 5>And then I remember saying to Mom, I want to

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<v Speaker 5>get up. I want to get up because I was

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<v Speaker 5>strapped to a spider board and I must have had

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<v Speaker 5>this strap over my chest and I remember saying to Mom,

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<v Speaker 5>you know, it's hurting my boobs. It's hurting my boobs,

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<v Speaker 5>or want to get up. Then that's all I remember then.

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<v Speaker 5>And it's funny because my second memory, I was in theater,

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<v Speaker 5>but I didn't know I was in theater. I had

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<v Speaker 5>no idea what was going on. And I remember them

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<v Speaker 5>pulling up my T shirt besu. I had this aqua

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<v Speaker 5>T shirt, was quite a bright T shirt on and

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<v Speaker 5>I remember them pulling it up and then cut it

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<v Speaker 5>off and then I stuck like a central line or

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<v Speaker 5>something in my neck and that really hurt. And I

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<v Speaker 5>remember just gripping onto the sheet and then you just

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<v Speaker 5>see the mask come down, and yeah, that's my next memory.

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<v Speaker 5>But I had no idea what was going on.

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<v Speaker 2>When did the reality of what the hell is going on?

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<v Speaker 2>When did that kick in? And did you freak out?

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<v Speaker 2>And what was what was going on?

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<v Speaker 4>No?

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<v Speaker 5>Actually, you know that's the weirdest thing. I don't actually

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<v Speaker 5>think I realized that I couldn't walk mate, not so

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<v Speaker 5>I got home from from Thailand.

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<v Speaker 2>So they didn't tell you that you were paralyzed.

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<v Speaker 5>No, Well, initially my main focus was actually on my

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<v Speaker 5>head because I had like subdural extra pabo timers, so

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<v Speaker 5>I like the most insane headaches, and that was kind

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<v Speaker 5>of all I could think about. And to be honest,

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<v Speaker 5>I remember that the nurses would often come in and

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<v Speaker 5>just inject I don't know, some sort of painkiller, and

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<v Speaker 5>I was pretty out of it a lot of the time.

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<v Speaker 5>And I remember my best friend she also flew out

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<v Speaker 5>to Thailand, and yeah, I remember seeing her bursting into tears.

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<v Speaker 5>But then it was just so it's so incredible, like

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<v Speaker 5>how your your brain can just like just erase y.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think, yes, phenomenal, wasn't it. But when when

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<v Speaker 2>did the news hit And how long were you in

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<v Speaker 2>Thailand for before you got flown home?

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<v Speaker 5>Well? I was in Thailand for about three weeks.

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<v Speaker 2>You in Thailand for three weeks and no one told

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<v Speaker 2>you that you were paralyzed.

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<v Speaker 3>Wow.

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<v Speaker 2>My final guest is Nigel Brennan. In two thousand and eight,

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<v Speaker 2>Nigel was working as a photojournalist along with his colleague

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<v Speaker 2>Amanda Lindhaut. They were hoping to capture the unfolding humanitarian

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<v Speaker 2>crisis in Somalia. It was a risky trip and their

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<v Speaker 2>planned seven day visit turned into a hellish four hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and sixty two days in captivity.

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<v Speaker 3>We jump in our vehicle, we take off, We get

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<v Speaker 3>to basically the outskirts of Mogadishi where the Mogadishu University is.

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<v Speaker 3>You've got Africa Union troops that are stationed there. You

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<v Speaker 3>can see all the sandbags and guys behind machine guns

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<v Speaker 3>and those sorts of things. The car stops and a

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<v Speaker 3>security detail that are in the vehicle. Basically we're told

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<v Speaker 3>pretty much at that point that they have to leave

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<v Speaker 3>us and we now have to travel five kilometers without

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<v Speaker 3>security detail until we pick up our next security detail.

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<v Speaker 2>Did that not raise alarm bell?

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely do.

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<v Speaker 2>So there's there's an inside job going on right there

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<v Speaker 2>or something along those way. Yes, because you get your

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<v Speaker 2>security detail. The idea is that they stay with you,

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<v Speaker 2>stay with you on the boots on the ground.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, it was explained to us that because they were

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<v Speaker 3>seen as government forces, they can't travel into a militia

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<v Speaker 3>run area, so that they would basically be stationed there.

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<v Speaker 3>They would wait until we've come back from the day

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<v Speaker 3>and we'd pick them up. So again, like you know,

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<v Speaker 3>having done hostile environment training, we say, if the plan changes,

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<v Speaker 3>you basically need to stop what you're doing, think about

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<v Speaker 3>the consequences, think about the risks, and if it's too risky,

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<v Speaker 3>you go home and have a cup of tea.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, the flags basically yeah, Yeah, So.

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<v Speaker 3>Amanda and I had a really quick conversation. We were like,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, we've come all this way, we really want

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<v Speaker 3>to get this story. And we made the decision that

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<v Speaker 3>we punched through.

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<v Speaker 2>And is that because you've been getting excuse my friend

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<v Speaker 2>ship stories before and you're like, this is the first

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<v Speaker 2>meeting one we're going to get. This is the first

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<v Speaker 2>one that we're going to Yeah, I think really sink

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<v Speaker 2>our teeth into.

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<v Speaker 3>For the first three days, it was this sort of

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<v Speaker 3>fed stuff that that was sort of I think, look,

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<v Speaker 3>I think.

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<v Speaker 2>Almost just pleasing you with little little things.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, to keep us busy while while a juice

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<v Speaker 3>was working with the nat Ja guys getting the stuff

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<v Speaker 3>that we were sort of hoping or wanting to get

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<v Speaker 3>as well. So it's just like you guys just can

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<v Speaker 3>have the scraps off the table we'll just keep you busy,

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<v Speaker 3>you know.

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<v Speaker 2>So the decision wasn't that hard. You were like, let's

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<v Speaker 2>let's just go for it.

0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:53.840
<v Speaker 3>We're here now, let's go made a decision. There's five

0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:56.960
<v Speaker 3>of us in the car. We leave our security detail

0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:00.640
<v Speaker 3>and we basically punched down the road. I'm mucking around

0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.280
<v Speaker 3>with my camera, basically looking at the images I've taken

0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:06.440
<v Speaker 3>from the day before, deleting images slowly, like so had

0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:08.360
<v Speaker 3>all the shots from while I was with the African

0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:12.680
<v Speaker 3>Union Forces. I can remember hearing Amanda and Abdar, who

0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.880
<v Speaker 3>was our interpreter, sort of speaking by the stage. We

0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.680
<v Speaker 3>created quite a good bond with Abdi. He was good fun,

0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:22.640
<v Speaker 3>liked to laugh, and they were sort of singing and

0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:26.000
<v Speaker 3>mucking around. And I can remember looking up over the

0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:28.720
<v Speaker 3>driver's shoulder and seeing a car flashing at slights because

0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:31.840
<v Speaker 3>we said they told us that we'd obviously intercept another

0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:35.120
<v Speaker 3>security detail, and I just presumed that that was the

0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:39.240
<v Speaker 3>car that was our security detail. Didn't really take much notice,

0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.160
<v Speaker 3>went back to my camera, and then as we got

0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:44.480
<v Speaker 3>to that car, we stopped, and then I sort of

0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.960
<v Speaker 3>looked up and looked over my right shoulder and just

0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:50.040
<v Speaker 3>saw a guy fully mask faced with an AK forty

0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:55.120
<v Speaker 3>seven literally sort of inches away from the glass, and

0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:56.839
<v Speaker 3>then the next thing that you know, aw, four doors

0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:59.880
<v Speaker 3>are ripped open. I'm dragged out of the vehicle drive.

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<v Speaker 3>The second the guy who's in the front seat with

0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:05.960
<v Speaker 3>the driver, and then Abdin Amanda, who in the back

0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:09.840
<v Speaker 3>world brought around to my side of the car, pushed

0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:13.439
<v Speaker 3>face down into the dirt AK forty seven at the

0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:16.960
<v Speaker 3>back of the head. Very quickly, all five of us

0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.520
<v Speaker 3>are bundled into the back side of this slam cruiser.

0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.199
<v Speaker 3>I've got this really big hostage taker who's now sitting

0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:24.880
<v Speaker 3>beside us, so there's six of us in the back side.

0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.320
<v Speaker 3>I've got Amanda on my lap. Two guys jump in

0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:29.720
<v Speaker 3>the front, one's got a pistol pointing back, and then

0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:33.199
<v Speaker 3>two young guys again masks face at the back who

0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:35.840
<v Speaker 3>are pointing AK forty seven's at the back of our heads.

0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.679
<v Speaker 2>If you'd like to hear the full interviews with Simon Kennedy,

0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:44.320
<v Speaker 2>Nigel Brennan, and Sam Bloom, I linked them in the

0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:47.920
<v Speaker 2>show notes. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I'll be

0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:51.439
<v Speaker 2>back on the twenty second of January with more great

0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:55.839
<v Speaker 2>stories in the meantime, take care and I'll see you

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<v Speaker 2>in the next episode.