Cara Curan had her first two heart surgeries in the first week of her life, and her parents were told to take her home and that she would not live past the age of 6 with her form of Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) - Pulmonary Atresia. After three more surgeries throughout her life, Cara now has spent over 9 months waiting on the list for heart transplantation, complicated by the high antibodies from the many blood transfusions required to keep her alive. Cara is so much more than her complex heart condition - she beams with life and radiance - she has travelled the world, run summer camps in America, attempted snowboarding, featured in documentaries and podcasts, and shared her story with the Heart Foundation to inspire the 2,400 babies born with CHD in Australia each year and their families. Cara is eagerly awaiting her transplant, and is looking forward to continuing to share her pre- and post-transplant journey with others living similar journeys. She is a firm believer in owning your story despite illness and setbacks, and staying strong in your vision to achieve your dreams. 

With a large scar down the middle of her chest, Cara wants to affirm to others to embrace their scars like she has, as she believes scars can be beautiful, and all bodies can be perfect. She wishes to engage with brands to promote this message.

Cara is dedicated to improving the mental health support for those with chronic illness, especially people who have faced medical challenges from childhood into adulthood. In her experience, the focus has often been on her physical illness, and the mental health impacts have been neglected. She wishes to improve holistic support for everyone accessing the health system so they are empowered to improve their overall wellbeing and live fulfilling lives outside of the hospital setting. Through her experiences, Cara has a wealth of lived experience to share with the health system, her peers with chronic illness, employers and more. She is particularly passionate about travel, and ways that environments can be made more accessible for those with invisible illnesses and dynamic disabilities to live life to the fullest.