EXCLUSIVE: Three-time Paralympic medallist Stef Reid said she is ready to “own” the story that changed her life completely – with newly released details leaving her husband Brent Lakatos in shock
Stef Reid has shared how putting the details of her traumatic accident into a book felt like therapy. 24 years on from the accident that almost took her life, the retired Paralympian said she is ready to “own” her story by putting pen to paper.
In the book, Stef, 39, relives the moment her life changed in an instant after miscommunication while tubing with friends led to her being in caught in a boat’s propellers. She explained: “I had fallen off the tube, and was waiting in the water for the boat to come back and pick me up, like it always had.
“But unfortunately, there had been a miscommunication between the spotter and the driver, and the driver didn’t know I was in the water.” When she saw the boat coming towards her too fast, Stef recalled “instantly” knowing that something wasn’t right and she “immediately switched into survival mode”.
“I knew I needed to avoid the propellers, and my best chance to do that was to surface dive,” she added. “I thought if I could get as far below the water as possible, and wait for the boat to pass over top, everything would be fine.
“It was a good plan… except I forgot I had a life jacket on, and I couldn’t get under the water. And at that point, it was too late. The boat was on top of me, and there was nothing I could do except hope for the best.”
Unfortunately for Stef, she got caught up in the propellers and swiftly feared death after seeing “too much blood” followed by the scared look on everyone’s faces. Later on in hospital, surgeons performed a special technique of surgical debridement to close a wound and bind her skin and muscles back together.
More seriously, her right foot was so badly damaged that they were forced to amputate it. Looking back on the accident, Stef says “it’s a miracle” how she survived, but has refused to let her traumatic experience take over her life.
Stef has since competed in the Paralympics for Canada and Great Britain and has worked her way through the ranks in becoming a world champion long jumper. Now two years on from her retirement, she is a motivational speaker, who runs her own business, and is also a presenter.
Stef is about to tick another thing off her bucket list with the release of her brand new book.
Discussing what’s to come, she told The Mirror: “Really, it was the first time that I put [it] down on paper what that day looked like, I have a perfect memory of the entire day. I realise I’ve been walking around with that, but, you know, to actually put it down on paper puts those things to rest in a different way.”
Stef said by doing so, it had felt “so cathartic” and “also a sense of, now that I have to pen this story, I own it”.
She continued: “[My husband Brent Lakatos] read the chapter about the day of the accident and he was shocked. He’s known me for 20 years and he was just like, ‘There’s details in here that I have never known.’
“It’s quite weighty to carry that around on your own.”
Stef is part of Channel 4’s new documentary Path to Paris: Paralympic Dreams, which follows five British athletes, including Jonnie Peacock, as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The show offers a unique insight into how National Lottery players support them on their journey as they train for their biggest tournament yet.
Path to Paris: Paralympic Dreams airs this afternoon at 4.55pm on Channel 4.
It will then be available to view on Channel 4’s streaming service.
