Outlook Weekend: Troubled Water
The Paralympian who survived a shark attack and an astronaut who nearly drowned in space
In 2013 Luca Parmitano spent five months onboard the International Space Station. He was carrying out a space walk outside the station to perform essential repairs when he realised something was wrong with his spacesuit. Water was leaking into his helmet. Soon he was at risk of drowning in space.
In Canada, First Nations people are much more likely than the general population to take their own lives. Bill Yoachim, who lost his mother to suicide, is determined to provide a lifeline for young people in his community of Attawapiskat in northern Ontario. His winning solution: teaching them to carve and sail canoes.
South African lifeguard Achmat Hassiem lost a leg in a shark attack off the coast of Cape Town. He went on to become a medal-winning Paralympian and a marine conservationist advocating the protection of endangered sharks.
Image: Newhaven Lighthouse battered by waves during stormy weather
Credit: Glyn Kirk/Getty Images
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
