Today in the Confessional, host Sandy Lowres chats with special guest Sam Bloom. Sam's life would be changed forever when, on a family holiday in Thailand, Sam fell 6 feet from a broken railing leaving her paralysed. Her recovery was long, involving moments of intense darkness. An unexpected visitor to the Bloom household arrived in the form of a baby native bird - a Magpie they named Penguin. Her husband Cameron, a photographer, captured the most heartwarming images of Penguin with Sam and the family. Penguin would help Sam, and the whole family to heal.

Sam's extraordinary journey was told in her best-selling book Heartache & Birdsong, and is now the focus of a beautiful film - Penguin Bloom - starring Australian Hollywood actress Naomi Watts.

Sam is now a champion athlete, representing Australia in the canoe world championships and is also a 2 x World Champion Para Surfer.

She shares her journey here with honesty and an open heart.

You can follow Sam Bloom here:
https://sambloom.com.au/

Https://www.instagram.com/samjbloom
https://www.instagram.com/penguinthemagie

Photo credits: Cameron Bloom
https://www.instagram.com/cambloom

Sam Bloom | Heartache & Birdsong (Sam Bloom, Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Grieve) is available here:
https://sambloom.com.au/book/

The film Penguin Bloom is now available on Netflix.
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I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, upon whose lands I live, work and play. I pay my respects to Aboriginal elders past, present and emerging.