Kintsugi Heroes
John Breda · 73 min
A detective sergeant who survived two stab wounds and 18 litres of blood loss during an arrest turned his near-death experience into a mission to save lives through blood donation advocacy.
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John Breda grew up in western Sydney wanting to help people. After watching the Anita Cobby case as a teenager, he knew he wanted to join the police. He spent seven years as an electrician first, learning that the best skill in policing was not fighting but talking to people. He joined the force in 1997 and spent 25 years moving through different squads: gang violence in southwestern Sydney, Middle Eastern crime, property crime, and the Child Abuse Squad, where he learned to listen to children and give them power over their own stories.
In 2018, while arresting a wanted sexual offender at a pub in Maroubra on Australia Day, John was stabbed twice with a flip knife. The first wound went through his kidney, ureter, liver, lungs, and diaphragm. Lying on the ground losing blood, he accepted he was dying until the image of his children flashed in his mind. He asked himself what he could control and realised he had his voice. He directed civilians to apply pressure to his wounds. In the hospital, he received transfusions from 100 different blood donors while three trauma surgeons searched for the bleed. A kidney specialist arrived without being called and removed his damaged kidney like removing a car battery.
After 18 litres of blood loss and six hours of surgery, John survived. His recovery took a year of daily work: walking hallways, blowing into bottles to rebuild lung capacity, swimming, rebuilding strength. The police commissioner and assistant commissioner created Bleed4Blue the day after he was hurt, turning his near-death into a blood donation advocacy movement. John retired from the police after 25 years when chronic pain made the work impossible, but he channels his experience into encouraging blood donation and helping others find their way through crisis. He sees his scars as kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken things with gold. The repairs highlight what was broken and make it more valuable.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses abuse & exploitation, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • Blue Knot Foundation (complex trauma): 1300 657 380 · blueknot.org.au • 1800RESPECT (family, domestic & sexual violence): 1800 737 732 · 1800respect.org.au
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