A silver medal at the Paralympics in 2016. Five Australian swim teams. Three attempts at different degrees. Two universities. Nine years to graduate from her bachelor degree. What’s next for Paralympian Monique Murphy?
The scars on Monique Murphy’s body are almost unrecognisable as she sits in a cafe in Brisbane’s south on an overcast morning.One might look first at the rainbow-dyed strands under her blonde hair, or her brightly coloured prosthetic leg, before she lifts her chin to show the traces of a life-changing accident.It’s another number added to a string of figures the Paralympian pins to her name.A member of five Australian swim teams.And nine years to graduate from her bachelor degree.
Always a competitive swimmer, the young social-work student was told she had fallen from a fifth-floor balcony and landed on a glass roof. Her parents were told she had tried to kill herself.Her injuries were extensive – her leg actually one of the lesser, Murphy says. “Everyone was saying to me, ‘you’re going to be a Paralympian!’ and I’m in a hospital bed going, ‘it’s going to be 10 times harder’.
“One month I’m aiming for a Paralympic medal, the next month I’m recovering, trying to get to the toilet. “When I had my accident, everything was covered. But as soon as I left, everything ... is considered elective.“Twenty per cent of people in Australia have a disability and only 1 per cent are employed [full time]. I can’t find someone who will employ [full time] ... at the moment, I can’t have a full-time job just because of my health.”
“God, I hope I’m not competing by then,” she laughs. “But having a hand in shaping that would be amazing. It’s got to be accessible.”
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