barely survived her own brush with
death. A gust of wind had blown the
chick from her nest. The boys –
Rueben, now 15, Noah, 13, and
Oliver, 11 – promptly named the bird
Penguin because of her black and
white plumage.
Penguin healed slowly. At the same
time, Sam was struggling with her
own recovery. Being unable to help
her boys whenever they got sick was
particularly hard on her. But Penguin
had to be fed every two hours.
“Penguin needed her,” Cam says.
“Sam’s demeanour and outlook on
everything suddenly changed for the
better because she could help Penguin.”
Sam nursed Penguin, who became
an uplifting, mischievous presence –
and a member of the family.
“They formed a unique bond and
it just lifted Sam’s spirits,” Cam says.
“It made her realise she could still get
on and be successful and do some of
the things she loves. It just made her
realise life was worth living.”AW WPenguin mimics Sam as she does
her rehab exercises. BELOW:
The pair formed a unique bond.
As Sam and Penguin healed each other,
the bird became an uplifting and cheeky
member of the Bloom family.