'Girl who fell from the sky' has breast implants removed

Emma Carey, known as "the girl who fell from the sky", had her life turned upside down after a failed skydive in 2013 left her unable to walk. Photo / Instagram

A 26-year-old Aussie who suffered traumatic injuries following a horrific skydiving incident in Switzerland has revealed the decision behind removing something she thought would help make her happy.

Emma Carey, known as "the girl who fell from the sky", had her life turned upside down after a failed skydive in 2013 left her unable to walk.

Taking to Instagram recently, the young woman explained to her followers the reason behind getting breast implants, only to have them removed three years later.

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Dear anyone who has ever considered altering their body, I understand how it feels to be there and wonder ‘what if’? I know there’s so many things we add to our pros list when we’re weighing up the possibility. For some people it might be the allure of confidence, of femininity, of ‘fixing’ something that changed after you grew a human. Or maybe it’s to fit better in clothes, to appear more attractive for a partner. Or maybe it’s something you just want to do for you. For me, it was none of those things. It was at a time when my body was going through a major transition. My days were filled with doctors appointments, surgeries and rehab. I felt like my body wasn’t my own anymore. I never really understood why exactly I did it, but when I woke up from having them removed I was crying to my mum and boyfriend saying ‘every part of me was broken, I just wanted one part to be perfect’. So I guess for me it was the idea that I could fix myself. Here’s the thing though. Did having ‘perfect’ boobs make me happier? No. Did it heal any of my physical problems? No. Did it heal any of my emotional ones? No. Changing my body did not in any way change the person I am. Read that sentence again. I would look in the mirror and not recognise myself. I didn’t resonate with the reflection of me that wasn’t as nature intended. I didn’t empathise with the girl who altered the body she had so much love and respect for. As soon as I had them removed, I felt an overwhelming sense of being home. I felt like myself again and I didn’t even realise how much I had missed her until I had her back. As someone who has experienced paralysis, who has looked death in the face and survived, who still ignored the lesson and went on to alter her body anyway… I want to pass on something I’ve learnt. The way our bodies look from the outside is undoubtedly insignificant in the scheme of being human. It isn’t the magic answer. If you’re looking for something more, I can guarantee that the answer is somewhere inside of you, not on the outside. There’s so much more to life than the shell we experience it through. Love, a girl who changed her body and wished she knew then what she knows now x

A post shared by EMMA CAREY (@em_carey) on Dec 2, 2019 at 2:24am PST

"For some people it might be the allure of confidence, of femininity, of 'fixing' something that changed after you grew a human," Ms Carey explained in her post.

"Or maybe it's to fit better in clothes, to appear more attractive for a partner. Or maybe it's something you just want to do for you.

"For me, it was none of those things. It was at a time when my body was going through a major transition."

In her raw post, the artist, who boats 159,000 followers on Instagram, went on to say how she felt her body "wasn't hers anymore", with most days filled with doctors appointments, surgeries and rehab.

"I never really understood why exactly I did it, but when I woke up from having them removed I was crying to my mum and boyfriend saying, 'Every part of me was broken, I just wanted one part to be perfect'," an emotional Ms Carey said.

"So, I guess for me it was the idea that I could fix myself."

However, Ms Carey said having "perfect" boobs had the opposite affect – it didn't make her happier.

"Did it heal any of my physical problems? No. Did it heal any of my emotional ones? No." she said.

"Changing my body did not in any way change the person I am. Read that sentence again."

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A few months ago I had surgery to remove my breast implants. I’ll speak way more in depth about why I got them, but for now I wanted to focus on why I got them out. From the moment I put them in my health changed dramatically. So many random symptoms kept popping up but it wasn’t until hindsight that I could form the clear connection. I gained so much weight within a month, I had psoriasis all over my face, I was tired ALL THE TIME, my memory was absolutely shocking, my hair was falling out rapidly, I had pericarditis (swelling of the heart) multiple times... the list goes on. Our bodies are so good to us. They are constantly just trying to keep us healthy, so it makes sense that when we put a foreign object into ourselves, our body is going to do everything it can to fight it off and keep us safe. My body was working overtime trying to protect me from the extremely toxic implants laying right on top of my vital organs. I’m a firm believer in ‘you do you’ so I wouldn’t say I’m against plastic surgery, but it’s SO important to be able to make an informed decision. 3 years ago when I had my surgery, I had never even heard of breast implant illness and the surgeon didn’t give any warnings so I assumed they were safe. Now the implants I had are recalled because they have since been linked to cancer. There is a lawsuit against breast implants because they are making people so sick and thousands of people are getting them out. It’s wild that doctors (people we trust to keep us safe) don’t at least warn us of the risks. That’s why I’m speaking about it now. The more known this is, the more people can research before they make any decisions about their body. It breaks my heart that I did this to myself. Someone who loves and appreciates their body more than anything, someone who was never ever self conscious about having small boobs, someone who doesn’t even bloody wear makeup because they love being natural. But I’ve lived and I’ve learned and I can’t change the past. Now all I want is to save other people from the pain, debilitation and huge costs that I went through. Nothing is worth more than our health and it’s crazy that we can sometimes forget that. #BII

A post shared by EMMA CAREY (@em_carey) on Nov 14, 2019 at 2:28am PST

When she would look in the mirror, Ms Carey she didn't recognise herself.

She was unable to resonate with the reflection of herself that wasn't as "nature intended", struggling to "empathise" with the girl who altered her body, a girl she loved and respected.

But the moment her implants were removed (a few months ago), Ms Carey felt an overwhelming sense of being "home".

"I felt like myself again, and I didn't even realise how much I had missed her until I had her back," she said.

The Queenslander shared her advice for anyone considering altering their appearance, saying it isn't the "magic answer".

"As someone who has experienced paralysis, who has looked death in the face and survived, who still ignored the lesson and went on to alter her body anyway … I want to pass on something I've learnt. The way our bodies look from the outside is undoubtedly insignificant in the scheme of being human," Ms Carey said.

"It isn't the magic answer. If you're looking for something more, I can guarantee that the answer is somewhere inside of you, not on the outside. There's so much more to life than the shell we experience it through."

Ms Carey signed off the post by writing, "Love, a girl who changed her body and wished she knew then what she knows now".

Her brutally honest post has been met with applause, with her huge following praising her for "keeping it real".

"I love you are always about keeping it real Em, it's helping others as much as it's being for your own benefit," one said.

"Amazing words, resonated so much," another wrote.

"Needed to read this, thank you," someone else stated.

EMMA'S SHOCKING SYMPTOMS FROM BREAST IMPLANTS

Apart from not having the "healing" effect she hoped for, she felt dramatic changes to her health.

"So many random symptoms kept popping up, but it wasn't until hindsight that I could form the clear connection. I gained so much weight within a month, I had psoriasis all over my face, I was tired all the time, my memory was absolutely shocking, my hair was falling out rapidly, I had pericarditis (swelling of the heart) multiple times … the list goes on," Ms Carey wrote in a separate post.

She said while she wasn't against plastic surgery, it was important to be able to make an informed decision.

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First of all... haveee you missed this face? Secondly... I nearly forgot what we used to do here on a Monday!! Let’s get back into it shall we? ☺️🌈✨🙈🙌🏻 Make Someone’s Monday - Insta stalk the person in the comment above you and leave a compliment for them in the comments here. (Kind of hard now that the comment section has changed but we can try anyway 💁🏼‍♀️😂). I bloody LOVE the love-fest this creates. Reading all of the comments and seeing friendships form is my favourite thing ever! Ps. Sending extra love to all of you today after my post last night. I was so nervous to post it but there was not one single negative comment!! Thank you thank you thank you 💛💛💛 you guys get me x

A post shared by EMMA CAREY (@em_carey) on Mar 18, 2019 at 3:21am PDT

When she got her implants in 2016, Ms Carey said she had never heard of breast implant illness, and the surgeon didn't give her warnings.

"So I assumed they were safe," she said.

"Now the implants I had are recalled because they have since been linked to cancer."

Ms Carey said it broke her heart that she "did this to herself" and wished there was more education surrounding breast implants as well as the associated risks.

"Now all I want is to save other people from the pain, debilitation and huge costs that I went through. Nothing is worth more than our health, and it's crazy that we can sometimes forget that," she said.

THE TRIP THAT CHANGED HER LIFE

Ms Carey was five days into a three-month European backpacking holiday when she went on a tandem skydive in Switzerland.

"When we jumped out I remember it was the most incredible feeling … the free fall is so peaceful, you are just so present in the moment," she told news.com.au last year.

But the feeling of euphoria was short-lived for the then 20-year-old backpacker.

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Story time. I got sent an email yesterday which made me cry. It was from my nurse in Switzerland who looked after me the first few nights after my accident. She randomly stumbled across an article of me and recognized me even though we haven't seen or spoken to each other in nearly 3 years. It really means a lot that she contacted me because I've always wondered what I was like emotionally during that time (I don't remember much from the first week because I was put on so many drugs and my memory is patchy). She said so many beautiful things to me but also reminded me of how miserable I was in those first days. The reason I wanted to share this with you guys is so you understand that things weren't always how they are. There was a time when I absolutely hated my life and genuinely wanted to die. When this picture was taken, I had been told I was a paraplegic and was under the impression I would never walk again, I had been dumped by someone who meant the world to me and to top it off I was in a foreign country where most of the doctors couldn't speak English. It's so easy to look up to people and forget that they weren't always 'inspirational' or 'positive'. There was a time when their struggles weren't beautiful and uplifting, they were just plain struggles. My point is.. if you're going through a traumatic time and it feels like your world is ending, there is still so much hope for you. Your worst moment could end up becoming the beginning of the most incredible journey of your life, but only if you let it. Things don't just happen, you have to MAKE them happen, and that's what people tend to forget. Imagine if someone told me 3 years ago when I was back in that hospital bed that I would be sitting here today; happy, in love, back on my feet, typing out this message to thousands of people who support me and look up to me... I have goosebumps because I wouldn't have believed them at all. Don't ever let an event define you. Create your own reality and remember that no matter what happens you are always responsible for writing the rest of your story. I am so much more than what happened to me and so are you. Never forget it 💛 #iammorethan

A post shared by EMMA CAREY (@em_carey) on Jan 19, 2016 at 2:43am PST

"I felt us slow down a little bit, but the chute wasn't above us where it should be, and my instructor wasn't answering me. The closer we got to the ground, I realised something was really wrong," she said.

And she was right – the instructor pulled the parachute too late, and it got tangled with the emergency chute that had been triggered at the same time. The parachutes didn't open correctly and instead got tangled around the instructor's neck, strangling him until he passed out.

Ms Carey never lost consciousness. She was awake for the entire ordeal.

"I kind of wish I did pass out so I didn't remember it all," she said.

She broke her back and got a spinal cord injury at L1. She broke her sacrum, pelvis and jaw and shattered her teeth.

After a month in hospital in Switzerland, she spent a further three months in hospital in Sydney.

Doctors told her she was paralysed from the waist down and would never walk again.

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One day when I was living in the hospital, the doctors decided I had to learn how to pee by myself before I could get sent home. Up until this point I just had a drainage bag attached to me. A nurse came into my room and said she was going to teach me. She told me to lay down on the bed and spread my legs. She attached a mirror to my thigh so I could see a part of me I’ve never had to look at so closely before 😬. She then handed me something which looked like a thick plastic straw and told me to look in the mirror, find my urethra and put the straw inside. I was so confused, the hole was so tiny. It was the most unnatural and difficult thing I’ve ever had to do and it took hours. I’d already been through some pretty weird and uncomfortable stuff but this was a whole new level. Not because of how awkward it was having myself and a stranger touch my private parts for over an hour. But because I realised ‘holy shit, this is how I am going to have to pee for the rest of my life’. It seemed unfathomable to me. It was nearly impossible to do it just once, how on earth was I going to do it 12 times a day? Was I going to have to find a bed, lay down, strap a mirror to my thigh, fumble for hours and drain my bladder into a plastic container every single hour for the rest of my life? No fckn way was I going to do that. She must have sensed my fear because she looked at me and said ‘Emma, you’d be amazed at what you can adapt to’. I didn’t believe her and I wanted to cry. But life went on and just then I woke up, walked to the bathroom, picked up a catheter, drained my bladder in a few seconds, went back to bed and thought nothing of it. It’s as easy as brushing my teeth. It’s as familiar as something I’ve been doing my whole life. Adaptability is something humans do incredibly well. We adapt and we make ‘impossible’ situations a part of our everyday life. Sometimes things will happen that aren’t a part of the plan. But I promise you, that thing you’re going through right now, that thing you think you can’t live with or without, that thing that seems impossible to ever comes to terms with.. you will. You’ll be amazed by what you can adapt to. You’ll be ok.

A post shared by EMMA CAREY (@em_carey) on Sep 24, 2018 at 3:01pm PDT

But four months later, she took her first steps – initially with the assistance of a walking frame, then with two crutches, then one crutch, then unassisted.

"Learning how to find new things which brought me happiness and contentment was hard to do because for 20 years of my life I had always just turned to sport and moving my body," Ms Carey said. "I learnt a lot from it, though, because it taught me not to rely on certain things for happiness, and that I had to find it within myself. That way it could never be taken away."

Now 26, Ms Carey has amassed nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram who are fans of her inspirational story and her art.