Earlier this week, I did an interview with Derek Eady. Originally from New Zealand and now based in Central Queensland, Derek shared his experiences for an upcoming episode of The Limb Shift, a podcast about limb loss and limb difference. He was so generous with his time and insights. I hope you find his story as useful and inspiring to read now as it will be to listen to later in the year. Click on the links above to subscribe (free!!) to the podcast so you receive all of the episodes when they are released.
Derek Eady’s life shifted dramatically after a severe domestic accident in 2013 during a home renovation project in New Zealand.
Before the incident, he had spent over fifteen years working as a frontline paramedic, accustomed to being the one who arrived to help others in their darkest moments.
While painting the roof of his house on a stunning December day, he stepped on wet paint that “is a bit like soap,” causing him to slide straight down the roof and over the edge. He plummeted five and a half metres, landing feet first before hitting his backside, which shattered his right leg and fractured his pelvis and back in four separate places.
The Immediate Aftermath and Recovery
The immediate fear centered on a potential spinal injury. Derek recalled the terrifying realization:
“I couldn’t feel my legs, I had no sensation below my waist.”
Transitioning from a frontline paramedic to a completely dependent patient felt “surreal,” leaving him with an “absolute sense of complete helplessness”.
Hospitalization brought dark days, depression, and profound questions about his future as a father, husband, and paramedic.
When a colleague visited after his amputation and suggested alternative office or training roles, Derek felt deeply deflated because they lacked any “sense that there was a possibility that I could return to active duty on the road as a paramedic”.
A major turning point occurred when his surgeon introduced him to another amputee who walked smoothly without a walking stick. Inspired by that meeting and by learning about other adaptive athletes like double amputee Mark Inglis climbing Everest, Derek experienced a complete shift in mindset.
Seven months after the accident, following the amputation of his problematic leg, he made a firm choice:
“No, I’m going to do this, I’m going to get back to working as a paramedic… and come hell or high water, I was going to do everything I needed to do to make that happen.”
Rebuilding Life and Career
With the help of dedicated rehabilitation programs, specialists, and his prosthetic, Derek quickly learned to walk again.
St John, his employer, supported his return, provided he passed an occupational driving assessment to prove he could safely operate an unmodified vehicle.
After retraining his brain’s spatial awareness for braking and acceleration, he passed the test and returned to frontline duties.
In doing so, Derek made history by becoming the first person with limb loss in New Zealand to return to work as a frontline paramedic.
This lived experience had a deeply transformative impact on his perspective, fundamentally changing his attitudes toward life and patient care. Rather than feeling jaded, it instilled a profound sense of empathy:
“For them this moment is, for them it’s been scary enough that they’ve called an ambulance. So they deserve every ounce of my compassion.”
It also altered his outlook as a husband and father, making him realize how quickly life can change and teaching him to cherish every moment with his family.
Life Since Paramedicine in Australia
After working for another six years on the road in New Zealand, Derek and his wife—following her recovery from breast cancer—decided to completely change their pace of life. They bought a yacht, learned to sail with their children, and spent months cruising around New Zealand and Fiji before eventually crossing over to Australia.
Now based in central Queensland, Australia, Derek closed the chapter on his long paramedicine career and transitioned into heavy transport. Describing his new line of work, he noted:
“At the moment I’m working in the dangerous goods transport field, running bulk dangerous goods. It’s… ammonium nitrate, cyanide, those sorts of things that are used in mines up around Queensland. So it’s, yeah, it’s a pretty intense, intense job.”
Working as a truck driver, Derek secured an unconditional licence and solved minor hurdles—such as finding a zip-up gumboot to fit his prosthetic for hazardous chemical suits.
Alongside his career driving commercial heavy vehicles, he also serves as a volunteer skipper for Marine Rescue in Gladstone. Looking forward, he and his family hope to embark on a complete circumnavigation of Australia by sailboat once their youngest son finishes school.
DEREK’S STORY ON NZ PROGRAM – ATTITUDE
