Orlando Bloom Recounts Near-Death Experience, Promotes Mental Health Care

Getty Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom opened up about a near-death experience from when he was 19 years old in a new video supporting the UNICEF #OnMyMind campaign. Bloom also shared the video to his Instagram, writing, “When I was 19 I was told I may never walk again. It was one of the darkest times of my life. This is how I got through it.”

“When I was 19, I fell three floors from a window and broke my back,” Bloom said in the video, “I was very fortunate to survive the fall because my spinal cord was still just intact.”

Bloom talks about how this accident and his recovery affected his mental health, and how difficult it was mentally for him to grasp the change to his lifestyle. He referred to this period as “quite a dark time.”

“As somebody who’d sort of always been very active in my life,” Bloom explained, “it felt very restrictive all of a sudden and I was in a lot of pain.”

It was with the support of those around him, Bloom says, that he was able to change his perspective and recover, both physically and mentally, from the accident.

Katy Perry Reacts to Fiancé Orlando Bloom’s Statement

Orlando Bloom relied on his support system to get through the recovery, and luckily he is still able to connect with his support system today, including friends, fans, and loved ones.

Bloom’s fiancé – pop superstar and “American Idol” judge Katy Perry – sent love in the comments of Bloom’s post, writing “I love you sho”.

“Sho” is a part of the couple’s nicknames for each other. “My nickname for Orlando is ‘Doe’, like D-o-e, ‘oh doe’. We speak like that all day and it’s very annoying to the people that hear us… ‘Oh doe sho!'” she said to The Sunday Times Style.

Bloom and Perry’s relationship became public in 2016, according to Cosmopolitan. They became engaged on Valentine’s Day 2019, and had their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, in late August 2020.

Aside from Perry, Bloom received support from many fans.

“I really feel him, I went through a similar situation when I was fourteen,” one fan wrote.

“What a story you have to tell. You are an inspiration to others. What you’ve come through to what you’ve become is great. Well done. 👏❤️😍🔥” another fan commented.

Orlando Bloom’s History With UNICEF

UNICEF’s campaign “#OnMyMind: Better mental health for every child” is a push to provide mental health resources and aid to children around the world.

“COVID-19 has put the mental health and well-being of an entire generation at even greater risk. The disruption to their routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income and health, is leaving many young people feeling afraid, angry and anxious for their future,” the campaign’s website reads.

As a UNICEF ambassador, Orlando Bloom has travelled the world to meet children and to bring attention to humanitarian efforts including providing water and sanitation to those without access, fighting Ebola in affected areas, and natural disaster relief.

Bloom says of the organization: “UNICEF does not simply provide people with the humanitarian aid, but also elaborates on the tools to solve problems and improve the life of children and women.”

Bloom has received both the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award and the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award for his work with UNICEF.

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