Taleese Penna, 38, was round at her friend’s house watching the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League Grand Finals on October 2nd, 2023
A mum-of-three miraculously beat the odds after a horrific fall down the stairs left her with only a 10% chance of survival. Taleese Penna, 38, was enjoying the Australian Football League and National Rugby League Grand Finals on October 2nd, 2023, at a friend’s house when tragedy struck.
After indulging in a few drinks and a BBQ, Taleese went upstairs to check on her children – Flynn, 15, Kyron, 12, and Azalyah, 10. However, disaster ensued as she missed her footing on the top step and tumbled down a flight of 12 steps, landing face-first.
Her son Kyron, who was behind her, cried out in alarm, prompting her husband Shane Penna, 42, an engineer, to call for an ambulance. Rushed to Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, Taleese spent 81 days drifting in and out of a coma and underwent five surgeries.
Despite losing her sense of taste and smell, she has otherwise made a miraculous full recovery. Reflecting on her near-death experience, the Brisbane-based beautician said: “I was given a 10 per cent chance of survival with my family and children being prepared for the worse and told to say their goodbyes.”
She added: “The only positive was that because we were close to the city, the ambulances arrived in five and a half minutes.”
Describing the perilous staircase, she noted: “The stairs were dark and old – it looked like they have been done fairly cheaply. There was barely any lighting and it was close to black.”
Taleese, who’s been through an unimaginable ordeal, recounted the terrifying events: “It was pretty much a blur, and I can remember walking to the stairs but after that I don’t remember.”
A harrowing aftermath followed as she revealed, “I was unconscious from the very top. There are chances that I will have dreams and visions which I have been warned about.”
Her medical journey began with a five-hour brain surgery, “It allowed for my brain to swell.” Taleese explained, before facing additional life-threatening challenges: “I contracted meningitis and sepsis in hospital, had over 12 blood clots and was neutropenic.”
Seizures also threatened her recovery while in treatment: “I had 2 to 3 seizures in the hospital which was scary.”
Her condition was so severe at points that she disclosed, “I was in and out of several comas and I was going into renal failure – occurs when the kidneys are unable to filter and clean blood properly.”
A particularly poignant moment came when doctors prepared her family for the worst: “The kids were told that I wasn’t going to make it and that they were to expect the very worst.”
Undergoing six surgeries throughout this period, she said: “They took another part of the skull,” followed by procedures to combat infection and blood clots. The other one was to remove the infection from the meningitis and the sepsis.
“I’m only 38 but feel 68. Mentally I’m still partly in denial but I’m a tough person and I’ve always been tough and I would say I’m completely irrational.”
During one critical point, she faced alarming body temperatures: “At one point I had 44-degree temperatures, which usually means death.”
The final surgery, involving the reattachment of her skull, lasted for five and a half hours, taking place on February 21, 2024. After enduring 81 days of hospitalization and rigorous rehabilitation, Taleese finally was able to return home.
She said: “It felt like I was relearning. I was leaning how to chew food again which was hard. I was also a little bit worried about my dogs but they were really gentle.”
Taleese still can’t taste or smell anything and continues to grapple with the trauma of her ordeal. She’s still experiencing intense pain from her ribs down to her back and has only recently been given the green light to drive again.
She admitted: “Initially the whole survival feeling was awesome at the time but as time has gone it has been hard. It’s going to be a life-long trauma for myself, kids and my husband.”
“When I hear ambulance sirens I get emotional and get flashbacks. I’m grateful to be alive but the pain throughout my body is pretty insane.”
