The power of not forgiving
PARALYMPIAN Melissa-Anne Tanner has had to overcome more than most people ever experience.
She experienced abuse as a child, lost her legs to illness and three years ago lost her son in a car accident.
It is not forgiving her abusers that she believes enabled her to achieve highly in everything she has done – from playing rugby union and wheelchair basketball for South Australia, through to becoming a world champion canoe-kayaker and paralympic archer.
Currently working in a company that helps people on NDIS to live independently in specialist disability housing, she also teaches the staff to understand people with disabilities.
“We want to have control and choice. We want both things that everybody has every day,” she said.
“I wanted to make sure, particularly in front of you all today, that whilst my journey has been really hard, I have to rise above that and I had to find a way to get around it.”
“Me not forgiving has enabled me to do all these things, because I wouldn’t have been my authentic self. I would have been living a lie.”
Photo gallery below. Photos by Katie O’Brien. Follow this link to see the entire gallery: https://canungratimes.pixieset.com/thecanungratimesedition2242may/
