Mossman woman travels the world despite a broken ankle
INSPIRATIONAL
A Mossman woman has overcome broken bones to travel around the world with the help of a specialised piece of equipment.
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Adventure-seeker Tahni Rush, 33, had been planning her travels for months – volunteering in Nepal, followed by London, Amsterdam and Malta.
But the dream trip turned to a nightmare when she took a shortcut while walking between villages in rural Nepal. She lost her footing on an overgrown path and tumbled down the hill, breaking her ankle in three places.
“I was alone, in pain, in a rural area where a leopard was known to frequent, so needless to say it was a long wait,” she said.
“I couldn’t put any weight on my foot and even the tiniest bit of pressure was agony.
“Help arrived in the form of three guys who took it in turns to carry me back to the village on their backs.
At times they were on their hands and knees crawling up rocks. It took an hour and a half to get back and it was dark by the time we finally reached the road.”
Unfortunately, the village didn’t have a medic or even any ice so Ms Rush had a rough night until she could travel to the community hospital three hours away.
Upon arriving at the hospital the next morning, Ms Rush found there were no bone specialists and no one spoke English, so she decided to make the painful journey to Kathmandu with her broken ankle still untreated.
“It was a nine-hour jeep ride with potholes the whole way and all I could do was grit my teeth and get through it,” she said.
“The hospital in Kathmandu was amazing – everyone spoke English and the doctor explained that I’d fractured my ankle in three places and needed surgery.”
Her relief to have found the necessary medical treatment soon turned to despair as the reality of her situation and the impact on her travel plans settled in.
“Hearing that I needed metal plates and screws was a huge shock as it made the seriousness of my injury real, and the fact that I was thousands of miles from home,” she said.
“I called my mum which made me feel better and I had a volunteer staying with me which was a huge support because it doesn’t feel as scary when you’re with someone.”
Following a successful surgery, Ms Rush had six days before she could leave Kathmandu so she researched ways she could continue her journey despite her injury.
It was during this time that Ms Rush came across the iWalk 2.0, a kind of peg leg that allows for injuries to mend while not restricting movement.
She ordered one and picked it up from a friend’s place in London before continuing on her journey.
“It a complete life-changer, it was almost like I was walking again and everything became so much easier,” she said.
“After sightseeing in London for a couple of days we flew to Amsterdam and then on to Malta. We had the most incredible time and now I’m back in London volunteering with the Hare Krishna and enjoying walking around the city.
“There’s no way I could have done any of this without my ‘peg-leg’.”
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