Keri's Couch: Rhino comes for Sue Cardwell and she makes it out alive
Who imagines that they
would get hit by an animal, more so a rhinoceros, when they are out on a walk
at a game reserve? Sue Cardwell also thought that it would never happen to her prior to the awful incident.
In 2014 at Umfolozi Game Reserve, a rhinoceros hit Sue Cardwell while taking a walk with her husband and friends who had come for a weekend of leisure. Her life has never been the same ever since.
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Born and bred in KwaZulu-Natal, Cardwell slowly started enjoying an adventurous life because of her husband’s love of nature. This meant canoeing on the Zambezi River, bush camps, and weekends away at game reserves.
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During this weekend, before the incident, instead of a game drive, the weather permitted a walk for them to experience nature more intimately. And they eagerly went with it.
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As he should, they game ranger briefed the group of eight for safety and emergency reasons. Did the group listen? Maybe.
Take a listen to how Sue Cardwell became the one hit by the rhino:
Fortunately, two of her friends were surgeons, so after the incident she was instantly to be calmed down and assured she would live regardless of her dislocated elbow and the gaping wound the rhino’s horn created. Her journey to the hospital was a long hour with the potholes making it an even more challenging time for her in the ride to Bay Hospital in Richards Bay.
“I felt like I was in Grey's Anatomy” is how Sue describes her arrival at the hospital.
Here’s more about what happened on arrival:
It is quite touching the way she has bravely moved on and started visiting game reserves again. She is still embracing her love for nature and adventure regardless, because that moment just opened her eyes to how precious her life is, most importantly, how she still has a purpose.
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Today on Keri's Couch, Sue Cardwell, survivor of a rhino attack, shares with us the story that has since changed her perception of life. Listen to the full podcast below:
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Main Image Courtesy of Sue Cardwell