Barney Miller, a quadriplegic, and his wife Kada refuse to accept limitations on how they live. Barney not only stood for his bride at their wedding but together, they tell Sue Smethurst, they are looking to a life of surfing, songs and, one day, a family.
There’s a phrase written in big bold letters on chalkboard at Barney and Kada Miller’s beachside home. It’s a line from the Hugh Jackman movie The Greatest Showman that goes: “A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.”
In fact, in every corner of their coastal hideaway sits a spark of inspiration – it may be a book, a quote, a photo or the impressive collection of mementos from dreams already achieved, reminding all who come into their realm of their mantra: anything is possible in life.
“There’s nothing sweeter than achieving something you’ve been told you can’t,” says Barney, proudly pointing out a prized gold trophy he claimed last year when he won a surfing World Title in the United States.
In 1999, David “Barney” Miller, 39, then a talented young surfer with the world at his feet, was involved in a shocking car crash. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, but he refused to die. Barney, as he is affectionately known, miraculously survived but faced life in a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. He was told he’d never walk or breathe unassisted again.
His young wife Kada, 28, has also endured her share of pain – a troubled teen, she left home when her life ran off the rails, with alcohol, teen sex and bad influences taking her down a path of certain destruction.
Whether it’s a miracle, fate or just plain luck, somehow the stars aligned when these two crossed paths 10 years ago. Now they’re sharing the inspiring story of how they’ve turned their lives around in a new book, The Essence of You and Me.
“We just want to show people that anything’s possible,” Barney says. “We are living proof.”
この記事は The Australian Women's Weekly の April 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Australian Women's Weekly の April 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
