I was delighted to meet an inspirational man by the name of Kahi Puru last month during a workplace visit. Kahi, a Paralympian and WorkCover NSW ambassador, was crushed in a forklift accident at work at age 29. His left leg was amputated at the hip and doctors feared that he would not survive the accident. But, believing in the power of positive thought, Kahi defied the odds and went on to become a world-class athlete. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as he told his story and spoke of his passion for workplace health and safety. Making the day even more special, Kahi shared with the group, that just earlier that morning he was told that his beautiful daughter had given birth to a little baby girl and he was now a proud grandfather.
Kahi's Full story -
At age 29, Kahi Puru was crushed in a forklift accident at work. His left leg was amputated at the hip and doctors feared that he would not survive the accident. But, believing in the power of positive thought, Kahi defied the odds and went on to become a world-class athlete. Kahi became Australia's best bench press powerlifter in the 100+ kg class. He represented Australia strongly at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games when he was ranked No. 1 in Australia and 7th in the world. At age 41, he has found a new challenge. Kahi completed the New York Marathon in November 2004 after just six months of learning to ride a hand cycle. The New York Marathon was Kahi's first race and at a distance of 42km it was a true test of endurance and mind over matter. His time to complete the gruelling marathon was 1 hour and 58 minutes. Kahi is one of the WorkCover NSW Paralympian Speakers sharing the 'Work safe. Home safe.' message with employers and workers across NSW.