Our 27 Pedestrians are back and ready to answer the tough questions once again, and this time we’re going deep – like D&M in a quiet bedroom at a house party deep. We asked our young Aussies about the worst thing that’s ever happened to them (that they feel comfortable sharing with us, and all of you).
As a heads up, this video does explore things like homelessness, suicide, eating disorders, domestic violence, and other potentially triggering topics.
One of the biggest lessons we all learn is knowing that everyone we meet has very likely experienced something traumatic in their lives, and it’s definitely a spectrum.
For our 27 Pedestrians, it’s no different. These young Aussies shared a whole range of things they see as the worst moment in their lives, going from mortifying embarrassment to grieving a close family member, to life-changing accidents.
Cody Gray shared the moment she knew she was paralysed, after a skiing accident when she was 16-years-old.
“I was on a family skiing holiday, I was a very competent skier – I was on the black runs and had been every year for several years,” she said.
“I went over a jump and just went too quickly over it. Flipped up and landed on the back of my head, and kind of just snapped both the front and back of the spine.
“I was immediately paralysed, I was knocked out on impact for 10 or so seconds, woke up and couldn’t feel my legs, and knew that I was paralysed. At first I didn’t know the extent of the injury, I thought I would just be a paraplegic.
“But no, I’m a quadriplegic, so that’s fun to deal with every day.”
Experiencing homelessness as a young lad was the most challenging thing Jake Fitzhenry has had to deal with in his 18 years on Earth.
“A lot of my early childhood memories were being homeless,” he told us.
“From a very young age – from about four to about six – most of that time I was living on either like people’s lounge room floors or in and out of motels and shelters and shit.
“And then later on in life, I spent a brief period homeless again. It’s definitely not something you ever get used to.”
Some of these worst moments our 27 Pedestrians shared are deeply embarrassing moments where they wished the ground would swallow them whole.
Like for Sarah May, it was the moment she accidentally humiliated herself in her hometown.
“I’d gone back to Wagga for the first time in like five years, and it was a dress-up party so I was wearing heels. I don’t wear heels,” she said.
“It’s like 2.30am, and we’re all wasted…and the house lights have come up. There’s like 200 people milling around on the dance floor.
“Some guy was trying to kiss me and I was like ‘no, go away.’ He went to chase me and I went to run away, slipped over…landed on my face, and the back hem of my dress was in front of my eyes. So it was like ass out, lights up, he just piss-bolts.
“I’ve never been more mortified in my life.”
And though some of our young Aussies haven’t experienced a major loss, injury, or recovery (the lucky ducks) they definitely recognise the importance of working through life’s shitty times.
Although Lacey-Jade Christie couldn’t pin down a “worst thing”, she believes that it’s important to use everything life throws at you to learn and grow as a person.
“Even the terrible things that have happened to me in my life – I think they serve a purpose, and you grow.” she said.
Need a refresher on who our 27 Pedestrians are? Here’s a run-down of exactly who’s who of these young Aussies. And you can subscribe to our YouTube channel (and never miss a video) right here.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you are in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 44 or chat online.
Have something on your mind? You can reach out to BeyondBlue at 1300 22 4636 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
