回顧 2013 年，來自澳洲的 Emma Carey 和許多旅人一樣，踏上歐洲展開冒險，20 歲的她才剛開始旅行第一週就發生嚴重意外。當時，她在瑞士阿爾卑斯山挑戰「雙人高空跳傘」，不料，跳下直升機後，降落傘並沒有完整展開，夢想演變為一場夢魘，醒來後的她，雙腿失去知覺。
當冒險成為意外，
你還願意再踏上旅程嗎？
從手術醒來後，醫療人員告訴 Emma 第一節脊椎損傷，她的背部骨折、半身不遂，這可能是永久傷害。經歷四個月的手術以及復健後，醫生宣布 Emma 永遠無法再走路，但她並沒有放棄。後來，Emma 的雙腳奇蹟復原，成為全球能行走的節癱人士之一，從此改變她的人生。
Emma 把自己的故事分享在社群網站上，大家稱她為「從空中掉下來的女孩」、「全世界最幸運的人」，她開始鼓勵更多網友，成為許多人的精神導師。這起意外不僅改變 Emma 的個性，她也不再把錯怪在陪同的跳傘教練，更多的是感恩，她抱持著正面的態度，看待週遭的人事物。
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You know that moment of refreshing clarity you have after a massive cry? That’s the moment I’m in right now as I’m writing this. I’ve started re-reading my favourite book about an incredible woman who went through one of the most horrible things imaginable and was severely injured because of it. When I got to the part where she talks about being in hospital for the months that followed, I just started balling my eyes out. Unless you have been in a situation where every single aspect of your life and identity is taken from you in an instant, it’s hard to explain exactly how it feels. Her words took me back to this moment and reminded me of how scared, alone and alienated I felt. I cried for my 20 year old self who had to go through all of that pain, I cried for the identity I lost and the life I would never have, I cried for the girl who has spent the past 4 years getting through something without ever realising how insanely hard it actually is. Knowing where the author of this book is now made me so emotional and so proud of her. How could someone who went through so much, turn her life into something so beautiful? That’s when it hit me… that’s exactly what I have done too. Everyone has been telling me to write a book about my story because they think it would be inspiring, but I could never bring myself to start because I don’t know how it will end and what the ‘purpose’ of the book would be. I didn’t think I had achieved anything overly fantastic that was worth telling people about and I didn’t see how exactly it would help anyone who read it. Today when I realised how proud I am of this girl who I’ve never even met, I finally realised how proud I am of myself. I don’t know how I got through hell to be here and happy today, but somehow I did. Remembering how scared and helpless I felt sitting on this hospital bed... I know that if this girl saw me now, she would be in absolute awe. She would want to read about it. So I guess all of this is to say… I’m finally writing it. ‘The Girl Who Fell From The Sky’ starts now.
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“I’m going back to Switzerland.”
稍早，Emma 上傳一張自己站在歐洲土地的畫面，五年後她鼓起勇氣重回瑞士，儘管那裡有著不好的回憶，但她堅信這是對的決定：「回到歐洲的想法讓我感到不適。我聽到身體裡的所有聲音，一直告訴我不再回去那裡，回到受傷的地方。但唯獨我乞求自己還要再去，去創造新的記憶，不要想太多，去歐洲享受夏季，這應該會很有趣。」
「不是因為我擔心會再次發生意外，更多的，是我擔心回家後的改變。上次我離開家，回來後的我完全到了另一個不同的世界。不僅我的身體永遠改變了，而且我的人生各方面也出現轉變。我不能再工作，我失去愛人，我的家庭也跟著我出現改變，我覺得我的身份也跟著轉變。我回到家裡的生活完全不像我離開前的生活。」
“I think it’s time to change.”
此外，還有令她無法克服的內在恐懼：「我太喜歡此刻自己打造的新生活。我的工作、朋友、家庭，還有我努力復原的身體，我怕這一去，我將失去更多。這也許是我經常錯過航班的原因，我的潛意識想要我錯過登機時間。我很喜歡旅行，但對我而言，這不是一件容易的事情。」
「回過頭再看這一切，你們可能會覺得我的人生很戲劇化。但我實際上很快樂，也很期待這次的旅行。」Emma 透露已經過了五年，也是時候迎向新的人生，創造新的記憶。她決定繼續用「雙腳」探索未知的世界，勇於踏出舒適圈，同時提醒著網友，做任何決定前，都要謹慎小心。
旅遊，本就是一趟找尋自己的過程。看著一張張 Emma 出遊的畫面，她嘴角的笑容無疑鼓勵著許多人再次出走的決心，重拾旅行的意義。Emma 用實際行動訴說，活著就要繼續旅行。
Cover via : em_carey
Cover Art Design : Chara
