Fighting back after fight for survival
Fighting back after fight for survival
Mathew McHugh is lucky to be alive.
He smashed his paraglider into a northern beaches cliff and was left hanging on by a thread and bleeding to death in a dramatic race against time.
He has now spoken publicly for the first time and, while his life has changed forever, he is thankful and shocked to still be alive.
Mathew had been paragliding for nine months and was surfing the wind over Warriewood in April when he was blown into a cliff.
He smashed his left leg and his arteries were mangled, with only the silk of the paraglider stopping him from falling into the rocks below.
By the time rescuers got to him he had lost so much blood no-one thought he would survive.
He said: “Two possibilities could have happened: bleed to death there before I could get help from first responders or simply fall from the sky."
Against all odds he did survive, but lost half of his left leg.
“The message from me now is the strength you don't know you have really comes out through adversity in life."
Asked if he would paraglide again, he replied: That's an interesting question. It's possible but unlikely at this stage. Never say never.”
