52-Year-Old Surfing Champion, Suffering From Depression Following a Saddening Incident, Saved by Baby Magpie in Unbelievable Turn of Events

A two-time winner of the world para-surfing championships and the inspiration behind the film Penguin Bloom’, Sam Bloom’s road to victory hasn’t been a rosy one. However, instead, it was a motivational one. After a life-altering incident in Thailand on a family vacation, Sam Bloom faced down the bottom of a barrel. Saddened at the state of never being able to surf again, she even contemplated darker measures. But from nowhere, a tiny, beautiful creature, a gift from nature, fell into her life and gave her and her family a breath of fresh air.

A baby magpie, often considered one of the most intelligent creatures, had fallen out of her nest and into the hands of the Bloom family. What was dreary and dull in the Bloom household then, regarding Sam Bloom’s condition, changed into cheery and uplifting due to this bird. Everyone started shifting their constant attention from Sam Bloom toward this magpie, and Bloom liked that.

Everything turned upside-down for Sam Bloom after the trip

Sam Bloom, her husband Cameron Bloom, and their 3 children together went on a vacation to a quiet coastal village called Ban Krut, Thailand in 2013. Unbeknownst to her, a lovely family trip would change her life forever in the most drastic of manners. Bloom fell nearly 6 meters from a railing that was rotten and had collapsed. Bloom suffered numerous injuries, including a broken back.

The mother of 3 also had her head split open and things looked very grim then. Bloom, however, recovered and her injuries would heal, but it gave her a deep depression, something she wasn’t being able to shake off despite months of rehabilitation. She was especially sad that her kids had to see her that way. She said to the Sydney Morning Herald, “I wasn’t the same mum, Before my accident I was super active. I would always be surfing, mountain biking, playing soccer, or going to the gym. That was who I was”.

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Her depression only increased with every given day and this is exactly when the Blooms found a baby magpie. It shifted all the attention from her to the magpie. Bloom liked this breather from all the attention she was getting since it was only making her sad.

How a baby magpie did more than it could imagine?

The Blooms named the baby magpie ‘Penguin’, and soon everyone was talking about the bird. Bloom recalled, “It took the focus off me… I hated being the center of attention”. This seemingly small discovery of a magpie would play a major role in uplifting everyone’s spirits in the Bloom household, including Sam Bloom. So strong was the impact that Bloom wrote a book about it called ‘Penguin Bloom’. The bestseller would later be made into a 2020 movie starring Naomi Watts in the lead.

How a baby magpie was responsible for helping Bloom get past her depression and become a successful para-athlete is the stuff of a fairy tale. But it’s her dedication, strength, and willpower that made Bloom into what she is today. Bloom has since made the Australian para-canoe team and has returned to the water on a surfboard.

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