I'M PROOF YOU CAN GIVE ANYTHING A GO!

Nearly 10 years after the accident that left her paralysed, gutsy Sam is ticking off some big ambitions

Sam Bloom has a simple message. “I want people to get out there and give things a go,” she says. “You’re never too old or too damaged to do things that matter.” It’s a powerful statement considering all

Sam’s been through. In January 2013, the Aussie mum’s life changed forever when she fell through a rotten balcony railing and onto concrete six metres below while on a dream family holiday in Thailand.

The catastrophic accident fractured Sam’s skull, ruptured her lungs and shattered her spinal cord, which left her paralysed from the chest down.

Suddenly facing disability, the previously fit and active Sam’s world came crashing down. That is, until the unlikely arrival of an injured magpie named Penguin, who her family adopted.

Sam’s photographer husband Cameron documented both Sam and the magpie’s recovery, which formed the international bestseller Penguin Bloom. When Hollywood got hold of it, a blockbuster movie was made, with Naomi Watts starring as Sam, and the story has inspired millions across the globe.

“Never in a million years did we think someone would want to make a movie about our story,” the 51-year old tells Woman’s Day. “For me, the most positive thing that’s come out is encouraging other people.”