A tale of survival ahead of holiday beach season

Ever heard of the sayings “someone must be looking out for you” and “your times not up”? One young woman shares her incredible tale of beating the odds and surviving a stroke after an unfortunate body boarding accident at Freshwater Beach.

Emma O’Brien donned her brand new wetsuit and set off to the beach one late September day with her flatmate. Eager to try body boarding for the first time, Emma caught a wave, but slid off the front of the board resulting in her chin hitting  the ocean floor, snapping her head and neck back and her legs went over her head like a scorpions tale. She was tossed and rolled under water knocking every part of her body before scrambling to her feet on shore. 

“Thinking I just had a little bit of concussion I went and sat down for about 30mins before going back into the water with my flat mate and my board, not knowing anything was wrong,” she said.

Unfortunately, something sinister was happening for the 36-year-old. The injury caused her neck bones to dissect into her right carotid artery lead to a slow internal bleed.

Unbeknown to her she re-entered the water, then had a further rest as she was not feeling 100% and then on the third occasion tripped over before entering the water and was unable to get up. At this point she knew something was wrong because she couldn’t move. 

Emma was assisted by another beach-goer who noticed the left side of her face was drooping and immediately called Council Lifeguards to assist.

The dental nurse says she doesn’t remember much after the ambulance arrived.

“I do remember someone cutting off my brand new wetsuit which I felt devastated about more so than whatever else was going on. It’s funny now but not at the time.

“Arriving at the Royal North Shore Hospital I was woken up and asked to give my consent to have lifesaving surgery. The initial brain scans showed there was no blood flowing to the whole right side of my brain.

“Surgeons informed me that I’d had a major stroke and I needed surgery straight away, they couldn’t wait for my family to arrive.” Emma said.

While having suffered a stroke was not bad enough, the challenges of surgery was the next hurdle she faced. As surgeons attempted to remove the blood clot through a stent, the stent then clogged up with blood preventing any blood from flowing through to her brain.

“Lucky for me my body’s own defence mechanism kicked in and started rerouting the blood flow around the blocked artery using the other three major artery’s in the neck and some of the smaller veins in the brain.

“Six hours later I woke up in the ICU having had the blood clot removed from my brain." Emma said.

Emma’s road to recovery has not been an easy one – but remarkably she has minimal brain damage. Her brain is working on making new connections around the damaged areas to keep her functioning as normal. Recently, she visited her surgeon and was told her progress was amazing and she is expected to make a full recovery.

Her fighting spirit means she won’t let this incident hold her back.

“I have been back in the water and no it will not stop me from body boarding in the future. Right now I’m back to basics, just trying to get back into the waves without getting too scared.” Emma said.

Council works closely with all 21 Surf Life Saving Clubs to ensure the safety of the 10.5 million visitors to our beaches each year.

“I do think the lifeguards helped save my life. What they do on a daily basis is under recognised – they do a fantastic job. Their training helped me immensely in the early stages of what I went through and their care they provided made a whole world of difference.

“To Rhiannon and Declan who were on duty that day no words will ever be enough. Thanks to your efforts I am able to come back to the beach and really enjoy life. Thank you so much for keeping a watchful eye over all of us at the beach and for keeping us safe so we can enjoy the fun.” Emma said.

The holiday season is the perfect time to visit one of our many beautiful beaches our region is famous for, but it is timely to remind everyone about their safety and the safety of others at the beach. Please remember to follow these simple steps:

Always swim between the red and yellow flagsKnow your capability and don’t put yourself a risk in unfamiliar waterRead the safety signsAsk a lifeguard or lifesaver for safety advice and always follow their directionsSwim with a friend or family memberIf you need help, stay calm and attract attention by raising your arm above your headDo not enter the water if drinking alcohol or you are under the influence of drugsWear sunscreen, seek shade and stay hydrated from the sun’s harmful raysFor any emergency dial Triple ‘0’