Jaimen Hudson is an internationally recognised nature photographer and filmmaker, as well as a successful eco-tourism operator and beach adventurer. The now 33-year-old spent an idyllic childhood immersed in the stunning ocean environments around his hometown of Esperance, WA - an experience he is now sharing with his own young children. Jaimen is also a quadriplegic. After breaking his neck in a fall from a dirt back when he was just 17, Jaimen suddenly found himself facing a life-determining choice. To give up, get angry and to allow his disability to define him. Or to accept the confronting cards he'd been dealt and to 'never waste a day'. But when he was thrown from his all-terrain wheelchair on Easter Monday 2024 and broke his neck a second time, Jaimen had to draw on all his inner strength. In this inspiring episode #114 of the Flying Doctor Podcast, Jaimen shares his unique and courageous perspective on 'living his best life' and the opportunities that optimism and adventure has brought his way.
After his first accident as a teenager, Jaimen spent 21 days in intensive care before progressing to rehab for six months and facing the impossible realisation that he would never walk again. But after fighting so hard to build and develop his independence and the life of his dreams, the now 33-year-old Jaimen was shocked and frightened, when he suddenly found himself lying alone in the sand on a lonely and rugged beach track, with a dislocated and broken neck. His all-terrain wheelchair bogged and then flipped on the poorly maintained path and Jaimen was flung directly onto his head. After being airlifted by the RFDS to Perth, Jaimen faced a confronting six-hour spinal surgery to fuse his broken vertebrae. Jaimen recalls thinking at the time that 'breaking your neck once is like getting struck by lightning but to do it twice is out of this world'. Thankfully, the surgery was a success and Jaimen was able to retain the same level of mobility he had enjoyed before this (second) accident. But for this active photographer and young father, even the thought of potentially losing the use of his arms or neck had been a truly terrifying prospect.
Jaimen says he is extremely appreciative for the part RFDS played in transferring him to a tertiary hospital from his remote hometown of Esperance. Just six months after his accident, Jaimen's recovery from his second broken neck has been nothing short of miraculous. And his dogged determination to continue to pursue his passion for photographing his beloved ocean environments, has captured the hearts and minds of followers from around the world. Jaimen is now sharing his story as a professional public speaker and his website is full of breathtaking images, short films and motivational moments that capture his incredible view of the world. https://jaimen.com.au/
