‘I Came Back From The Brink To Find Love'

There wasn’t a dry eye in the temple when paraplegic Samir married his carer after a life-changing accident

- Phillip Koch

When Samir Eshani flipped his motorbike and almost lost his life in a horror accident, he spent 53 days in an intensive care unit as doctors battled to keep him alive, operating five times in 14 days.

“My heart and my lungs stopped in the middle of one of the operations,” says the Western Sydneysider. “I don’t remember a lot from that time but I broke all my ribs, smashed my left shoulder and punctured my lungs. My dad had to give permission for the surgeon to operate because I could have died on the operating table.”

Samir also severed his spinal cord, leaving him a paraplegic, dramatically changing the course of his life and crushing his dreams for the future.

“I was a repairable write-off,” jokes Samir, acknowledging that his self-deprecating sense of humour helped him through his darkest hours.

With his life hanging in the balance for weeks, Samir slowly came to terms with the prospect of spending his life in a wheelchair.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get married, and I’d always wanted to get married and have children, but people look at you differently when you’re in a wheelchair.

“It was a massive change, but I also realised I was so lucky to still be alive.”

SHOCKING RESPONSE