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Martine Wright interviewed at St Paul's Cathedral about 'The Things That Matter' — Transcript

by St Paul's Cathedral · 3,015 words · 393 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:04on the 7th of July 2005 life changed for
0:09Martin Wright as she is normal took the
0:12circle line to work here in London on
0:14the Underground and a terrorist bomb
0:16exploded just 4T away from her we're
0:19very grateful that she's come here to St
0:21Paul's to be part of this series in
0:23which we ask what really
0:25matters Martin welcome to uh St Paul's
0:29Cathedral it's really good to have you
0:30here how does it feel coming into the
0:33cathedral amazing I mean um it's a it's
0:37a beautiful building as I said the last
0:39time I came here was part of the um
0:42London fire brigade Carol service and uh
0:46I had the pleasure of bringing my whole
0:47family here so it's it's lovely to be
0:50back well it's great to have you here
0:52and could you just tell us about 7th of
0:55July 2005 nearly 10 years ago now it was
0:59an day going to work what what happened
1:03yeah um like any other day um I'd
1:06actually been out the night before
1:08celebrating with uh work colleagues and
1:11friends um because it was announced that
1:13day that London had won the Olympic and
1:15Par Olympic bid got up that morning
1:18slightly late for work and uh yeah got
1:21got on a circle line tube and it it
1:25changed my life forever um I was sat
1:27just 4T away from on the suicide side
1:30buers that that decided to hit London
1:33that
1:34morning um my my family searched for me
1:39for nearly 2 days um something that I
1:42still can't comprehend but they they
1:44searched me for two days uh but they
1:45finally found me at the the Royal London
1:47Hospital um and I'd lost both my legs
1:50above the knee and been resuscitated
1:52several times but um I wouldn't be here
1:56if it wasn't for uh a very
2:00kind the the kindest kindest person in
2:03the world and that um is what I call my
2:07my she's my guardian angel and that's
2:08Liz Liz Kenworthy and she was the
2:11off-duty policewoman that day that um
2:14stayed with me and uh saved my life
2:17basically gave me torn a Cas to put
2:19around my legs and um and saved my life
2:22and and stayed with me until until I was
2:26I was taken out cuz I was the last
2:28survivor um
2:30on that on that tube and uh yeah she she
2:34stayed with me and on that day you lost
2:36I I read 80% of your blood yeah I I uh I
2:40lost both my legs uh above the knee um I
2:44lost 80% of my blood uh you in a coma
2:48yeah I'd been resuscitated several times
2:50it looked like I was going to lose my
2:52left arm as well but um again the the
2:56doctors and nurses were just absolutely
2:59amazing um and uh my my arm was saved um
3:05but yeah I was in a coma for 10 days uh
3:08so knew nothing of the the dramas of of
3:11what happened I mean I do remember when
3:13the explosion happened um and obviously
3:17I didn't think this is a bomb I I I just
3:20had a white Flash in in front of my eyes
3:24and um I had a feeling that I was being
3:27shook from from left to right basically
3:30and I've I've used the analogy before of
3:32you know a Tom and Jerry cartoon when um
3:35you know Tom hits Jerry with a with a
3:38sauce butn or something and you you see
3:40them in the cartoon going D I felt like
3:42that um but obviously I just I just
3:45thought it was a crash and then and then
3:47obviously woke up 10 days
3:49later uh to to see that my legs were
3:54gone um so and and your initial feelings
3:58when initial feeling ings was my life's
4:01over initial feelings was I've got no
4:05legs I've got no legs how am I going to
4:08carry on um why did this happen to me
4:11you know I'm a good
4:13person um you know and and and I'm I'm
4:17I'm sure you've you've met people um in
4:20your in your daily working life I
4:22suppose that people deal with with
4:24tragedy and in and traumatic
4:27circumstances in different ways um but
4:30there was definitely a turning point
4:33that that that I was faced with um and
4:37uh that was on on a day it came probably
4:39about 6 weeks after it happened and I
4:42was just about strong enough to go to to
4:44the physio for the first time at Royal
4:46London um and that was a turning point
4:50for me because I I went into this room
4:53and saw saw all different people but um
4:56I saw a girl who is one of my friends
4:58now and she'd lost both her arms and
5:00both her legs through
5:02menitis so that was an eye a huge eye
5:05opener obviously then I met other
5:08victims of the bombings who might not
5:09have been as physically injured as me
5:12but psychologically they were they were
5:14completely traumatized and um but the
5:17big thing was was that was the day that
5:19I found out how many people died that
5:21day 52 people young people innocent
5:24people on the way to work had had been
5:26killed and um before that that day I had
5:30no idea at all so I think that was the
5:32day that was the turning point for me
5:34that that I basically said right Martin
5:37you know pull yourself together you've
5:39got two choices and either you can sit
5:42there and keep asking why me why me and
5:47you know saying I've got no legs I've
5:48got no legs or or get new legs and learn
5:51to walk again um and that's why I think
5:55I'm I'm so lucky to be to be sat here
5:59today and you I mean you chose life that
6:01day and and hope and what you've done
6:05since is extraordinary I mean got
6:07married yeah had a child yeah and of
6:11course known to many of us because of
6:13your paralympic activities just tell us
6:16a bit about how all that's been over I
6:18mean that's been extraordinary yeah I
6:20mean I I I vowed to sort of you know
6:24after that day as you said I I had a
6:26choice and and I had a choice to live my
6:29life because I was a lucky one I I still
6:31had my life um but I vowed that I would
6:34grab every opportunity and uh you know
6:38um I have grabbed every opportunity and
6:40I think sometimes my family you know
6:43sort of I can see them sometimes oh
6:45There She Goes Again you know um but yes
6:49I got I got married to uh Nick who who
6:53um you know was was my boyfriend before
6:55before it happened and we we had our
6:57beautiful son Oscar and you know I've
7:01done lots of extraordinary things that I
7:03would never have done if it weren't for
7:05losing my legs so you know I've learned
7:07to fly planes and jumped out of a plane
7:11that was not a popular one for my for my
7:13mom and dad at all um and obviously yeah
7:16I I I'm so lucky cuz I rediscovered
7:19Sport and um I tried all different
7:23sports but I I fell in love with sitting
7:26volleyball um and now uh I'm captain of
7:30the team but yeah I I I went to London I
7:32went to par Olympics 2012 in London in
7:36my
7:36hometown um and I truly
7:40believe that I was always meant to make
7:43that Journey that I was always meant to
7:46go back to my hometown of London and
7:49perform at the par Olympics and that I I
7:51believe that was part of the reason why
7:54I was
7:55involved that day so you don't get that
7:58question why me haunting you anymore no
8:02no I don't I I get more of a question
8:05of I was meant to to get on that train
8:09you know cuz I remember that morning and
8:13um you know I was running up the
8:15escalator and and I did have have have
8:18you know periods in the beginning of why
8:20was I running up the escalator I always
8:21used to run up escalators but now the
8:24question is is I don't think I could
8:28have done anything to stop it and I
8:30think that was a journey I I was
8:32supposed to make um because they they
8:35just see seemed they might it it I don't
8:38know it might just be connections it
8:41might be fate it might be a journey a
8:44path that has been laid out for me but
8:48there are so many connections and
8:50coincidences between um the 7th of
8:54July and and the Paralympics so
8:58obviously you know it was the day before
9:01that London announced that it it had won
9:04the bid that was the whole reason why I
9:06was late that morning um because I'd
9:09been out the night before uh the last
9:11thing I was reading on the tube was my
9:14papers and obviously that day you
9:15couldn't turn the paper without seeing
9:18everything on on on the Olympics and Par
9:20Olympics and and I I distinctly remember
9:23before the explosions happened I thought
9:26wow I'm a Londoner I've got to get to
9:29this I've got to get tickets and now
9:32what I see is is either a journey I was
9:35supposed to be on or or a twist of fate
9:38that um I've just come back from taking
9:41part so you're a person who's come very
9:45very near to death and that's
9:48distilling what I mean the series is
9:51asking this question what matters what
9:55really
9:57matters I mean for me um
10:00and what I've been through as a result
10:03of of what happened I would never have
10:06got through that if it weren't
10:08for the love and the relationships I
10:12have with my family and friends and I
10:16think you know I think when when when
10:18something happens in your life that
10:20makes you
10:21reassess something
10:23um there was no question at all that
10:26that what I treasured more and what got
10:28me through the trauma was the
10:30relationships I had with my family my
10:34friends you know um the Health Care
10:39Professionals you know Liz Liz Kenworthy
10:41and and myself really it was
10:44rediscovering myself
10:47um and I think that's that's what counts
10:51is the relationships and the love that
10:55you you have for people I I've I've I've
10:58come up with this this thing which is
11:00called team
11:01me and um we all have a team me and
11:04we're part of someone else's team me and
11:08um you know my team is made up of all
11:11the people that have taken care of me
11:14and also have enabled me to get through
11:19the last N9 years and and have helped me
11:23you know grab those opportunities that
11:25I've had and and given me the strength
11:26to carry on when I thought that I
11:29couldn't carry on um and I mean a lot of
11:33younger people actually all of us but I
11:36notice a lot in younger people are
11:37looking for wisdom there's a bit of a
11:40wisdom deficit everybody's you know
11:42sounding off about this that and the
11:44other people want want things that are
11:47distilled and important and what would
11:50you pass on then to younger people maybe
11:54your own
11:56son yeah I think um I think it it's
12:00it's just you know make sure that you
12:04tell your loved ones that you love them
12:06you know um and value that relationship
12:11and learn from that relationship as well
12:14I mean obviously you know we all we all
12:17get times you know I'm 42 and I I still
12:20get times when I roll my eyes when my
12:22mom and dad might say something to me
12:24but seriously you know they are your
12:27guidance they are your or you know
12:30they're the people that love you that
12:32care for you um and that can show you I
12:35suppose what's what's right in the world
12:38um you know uh also I think as well you
12:43know for for for my son as well you know
12:46I I I say to him you just got to be
12:49happy you know and I want you to be
12:51happy and um I want you to to number one
12:55grab every opportunity whatever you want
12:57to do I think I don't care what you want
12:59to do I just want you to be happy and I
13:01want you to Value those relationships
13:05because they will make you into the to
13:08the man that that you know you want to
13:11be um and also as well I I say to him
13:15that I think it just goes over over his
13:16head at the moment he might be slightly
13:18too young is um you know anything
13:23absolutely anything is possible as long
13:26as you believe and I truly believe that
13:29that you know if there's some dream
13:32something that that that you want to do
13:34and you think that's it's never going to
13:37be possible it is it is possible um and
13:41again with with determination with the
13:44support from your your your team me um I
13:48believe that you know anything is
13:51possible fabulous examples in his own
13:54home of course there I mean that word
13:56belief is obviously a key word here
14:00does God is that a is that a word that
14:02means anything to you Faith are the are
14:05these important or or not um yeah I mean
14:09I I definitely you know I was I was I
14:11was brought up I I I you know I I went
14:14to Sunday school myself and um I
14:17definitely believe
14:20in something um I don't know
14:24whether you know I don't know what it is
14:27but I believe that there is definitely
14:29something there I mean you know coming
14:31back here it's it's a very comforting
14:34place um I think
14:37maybe religion for me is is again I
14:40suppose to do with those relationships
14:44to do with the relationships of maybe
14:47you know people in the community as well
14:50um and it's it's that give and take with
14:54with those relationships and um I mean
14:57that day that that that the 7th of July
15:00you know it was it was an awful day and
15:02everyone will obviously all always
15:04remember it you know um I supp I like
15:07liking it sometimes to when JFK got got
15:09shot everyone will remember where they
15:11were um but even though it was it was an
15:16awful awful day uh that that that you
15:19know affected
15:21everyone um there were there were two
15:24ends of the scale of of humanity I
15:26suppose at one end you know you had the
15:29bombers that that that got onto the
15:31trains onto the
15:33buses and did the most selfish act um
15:37you know I I do question what what was
15:39going on there and maybe they didn't
15:41have the relationships they didn't have
15:42the love that they should have had you
15:44know whereby maybe they felt like they
15:47they wanted to do that so that was at
15:49one end of the scale but then the other
15:50end of the scale there's the absolute
15:54fantastic uh people that just wanted to
15:57to help people people risk
15:59their own lives for others to help
16:02others
16:04um so again I think that's all to do
16:08with
16:09relationships um so yeah even though it
16:12was an awful day I think there have been
16:15positives from it um so well now that
16:20you've got this public profile uh what
16:24do you finally hope to do now with that
16:28I mean what what do you want to
16:30achieve um from what you've learned yeah
16:35um I mean I still I still want to be I
16:37mean you know I'm I'm I'm still very
16:39sporty I'm I'm captain of of Great
16:41Britain sitting volleyball team so um
16:44there's a there's a small competition
16:45coming up in 2016 in Rio
16:51uh so we we're we're still going going
16:54for that um so so that's a lot of hard
16:56work ahead and again you know from the
16:58support and the love of my family I can
17:01do that you know I I I can I can throw
17:03myself into it and and do it and
17:05hopefully make them make them proud that
17:07was a big thing for me at London um but
17:11um I always want to be long-term an
17:14ambassador of of sport because I truly
17:17believe that we can use sport not just
17:18to keep people fit but to use it within
17:21smaller communities wider communities in
17:24in the whole great scheme of things to
17:26to I believe create great social change
17:30positive social change um but I suppose
17:35you know if there's if there's one
17:38person out there that has maybe you know
17:42been through tragedy or going through a
17:44hard time and and if if if there's only
17:47just one person out there that I maybe
17:50they've seen me or maybe theyve they've
17:52seen me talk or or you know and and if
17:55they've gone actually you know it's not
17:58the end of the world that this has
17:59happened and I can go on you know Martin
18:03has and I suppose if I've done that just
18:06for one person then I think all the all
18:09the pain and um anguish that that I went
18:13through losing my legs you know it's
18:16it's all been worth it I believe um well
18:19you've done it for many more people than
18:21one and uh an ambassador for sport you
18:24are but I think you're really an
18:27ambassador for the human spirit
18:29and uh for that you know we want to
18:31thank you here at St Paul's and thank
18:33you also for coming here to talking to
18:34me today thank you thank you
18:41much

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