- A cycling crash led to a rare flesh-eating infection that forced doctors to amputate Kerryn’s entire right arm to save her life
- Determined to stay active, she relearned how to swim, ride and compete, eventually joining the Australian Elite Paratriathlon Team
- Today, she is inspiring people just like her to turn their lives around
Here Kerryn Harvey, 61, Melbourne, Vic, tells her story in her own words
As my bike wobbled beneath me, I fought to steady the metal frame while I slowly pedalled.
‘You can do it,’ my friends cheered.
It was November 2013 and, aged 48, it wasn’t the first time I’d learned to ride a bike, but it was my maiden voyage with only one arm.
Since I was a little girl, fitness had been a huge part of my life. Whether it was swimming, running or cycling, I loved moving to get my endorphins up. Sometimes I did all three, competing in triathlons.
When I wasn’t competing in sports, I loved watching other people at the top of their game battle it out.
That January, my partner, friends and I had travelled to Adelaide to watch the Tour Down Under – a 10-day cycling event.
After the event wrapped on day three, we cycled from town back to our hotel, along with thousands of other riders.
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We were 20km from our accommodation, when another cyclist crossed my path. There was no time to hit the brakes before I collided with them and crashed to the ground.
Suffering a 5cm gash on my right arm, I went to hospital to be stitched up. I’d also developed a large haematoma on my hip, so doctors kept me in overnight to monitor it.
Back at the hotel the following day, I rested.
But in the middle of the night, I woke in agony. Switching on the light, I saw that my right arm had swollen to twice its size and I couldn’t move my fingers. Blood blisters clustered up my arm and grew before my eyes.
Waking my partner, they called triple-0.
By the time paramedics arrived 45 minutes later, I was fighting to stay awake.
Loaded into the ambulance, my world went black. When I came to 10 days later, my partner was by my side.
‘You had a flesh-eating bacteria called necrotising fasciitis on your arm that was progressing rapidly,’ doctors confirmed.
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To save my life, they’d had to cut off the infected skin and tissue. ‘We’re so sorry we couldn’t save it,’ the doctor added.
Wrapped up like a mummy, my entire right arm, including my shoulder, was gone.
Though they couldn’t be sure where I’d contracted the bug, they suggested I’d picked up the bacteria from the road, which entered my body through the gash in my arm.
I’d been on life support after suffering multiple organ failure, with just a five per cent survival rate.
As the fog slowly lifted over the coming weeks, I came to accept my life would never be the same.
Still, I knew how lucky I was to be alive.
After three weeks in ICU, where I had several skin grafts to close the wound, I was moved to the ward, where I had daily physio, to work on regaining strength.
Even though I was left-handed, I still needed to learn how to do ordinary tasks, like using a zipper and cutlery, and getting myself dressed, with just one hand.
My cycling days are over, I thought.
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Finally, after three months in hospital, I was allowed home.
Not wanting to become a recluse, after giving up my job as a patient transport officer for Ambulance Victoria, I was determined to return to the thing I loved most – sports.
But it wouldn’t be an easy feat.
Through ongoing physio, I started running again, before hopping back in the pool to attempt swimming.
At first, my brain kept tricking me that my right arm was still there, but with practice, I stopped swimming in circles, and was able to adapt my strokes to swim in a straight line.
Eleven months later, I felt ready to get back in the saddle. A mechanic modified my bicycle so all the gears and brakes were on the left-hand side.
Mounting my bike for the first time since the accident, I felt nervous, but excited.
Then, as friends gave me a gentle push, I was off.
Doing a short lap of the block, I felt on top of the world.
The first few weeks were wobbly, and my mates stayed close by in case I fell.
After three months, I was comfortable to ride solo and was soon doing 20 laps of the local velodrome.
It felt so freeing.
By January 2015, I’d built up the confidence to compete in my first paratriathlon event in Penrith, NSW, after months of training. Crossing the finish line in second place, I was so proud.
Soon after, I became a member of the Australian Elite Paratriathlon Team and qualified to compete in the world championships event in Chicago, US, against the best para-athletes in the world.
Incredibly, I came in second place!
Though I’d set my sights on competing in the Paralympics one day, my disability class wasn’t included.
Instead, I pivoted to do my first Ironman event in Busselton, WA, in December 2018, which involved a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride, and 42km run, competing against able-bodied athletes.
Sitting on the bike for six hours was hard on my body, but I got special permission to take extra stops along the way for water and food to fuel me. I was also allowed a helping hand to get my wetsuit off in the swimming feat.
It was the toughest event I’d done so far, so I was over the moon to cross the finish line in first place!
I never imagined falling off my bike would result in me losing my arm, but it has led to some amazing opportunities I never thought possible.
I’ve become a qualified personal trainer, launching my business Nine Lives Training.
And in August this year I launched my memoir, Mostly Ups, that details my story of resilience.
When life throws you for a loop, it’s important to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and never give up.
If I can do it, anyone can.
