Natalie Curtis: Wheelchair basketballer who was forced to crawl out of flight dies unexpectedly 3 months later
TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA: Natalie Curtis, a celebrated wheelchair basketball champion and disability advocate who once made headlines for voicing her protest after being forced to crawl off a Jetstar flight, has died unexpectedly at the age of 34. Curtis died suddenly on the evening of Sunday, February 5, leaving behind her young son.
The death of Townsville’s icon, who owned disability service provider Vital Supports and Supplies, was confirmed by her sister Emma Louise. The cause of her death hasn't been made public. "If you know Natalie, you would know she was the most beautiful, kind, and talented person. She was a daughter, a sister, an auntie, and a mother to a beautiful little boy. Everyone who knew her loved her instantly, she had such a kind soul and would do anything for the people she cared for most," Emma wrote in a Facebook post. "With such a heavy heart I’m writing this because unfortunately, Natalie left us Sunday night."
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Who was Natalie Curtis?
Curtis was a celebrated athlete and businesswoman who influenced the lives of people around her. She was born with spina bifida - a birth defect where the spinal cord fails to develop properly, as per Daily Mail. Despite her rare body condition, Curtis was immersed in sports from a young age. She started her sports career as a swimmer but quit it after her sister drowned in the family pool. She then began playing basketball at the age of 14.
She soon carved a niche for herself by securing a spot in the Australian Gliders and claiming a silver medal at the 2013 Japan Oceania Championships. Curtis was also a proud representative of the Australian Institute of Sport, who trained and coached a wheelchair basketball team. She also worked with Sporting Wheelies to introduce wheelchair basketball to schools.
Curtis came into the limelight in October 2022 after an ordeal with Jetstar. The Queenslander was boarding a flight from Singapore to Bangkok when she was informed that she would have to pay to use another wheelchair to exit the plane after being provided a conventional aisle wheelchair in Singapore. Curtis refused to pay an extra charge and decided to exit the plane by crawling down the aisle. Her story soon dominated the headlines, sparking a furious backlash against Jetstar.
‘A vibrant soul taken too soon’
The unexpected death of Curtis has sent shockwaves across the city of Townsville. Labor state MP Aaron Harper, who met Curtis a few years ago at the local business development center, said he was left devastated after Curtis’ death. She had "only days ago" signed a lease on a new building to expand her business, he said. "Nat had great personal drive and determination to start her own business Vital Supports and Services," the member for Thuringowa wrote on Facebook. "Recently we met at the release of the Fearless series, another of Nat's inspirational stories of overcoming many obstacles in life to achieve so much in wheelchair sport & to start her own disability support business."
Sporting Dreams, a not-for-profit organization, said Curtis was a "young soul taken too soon." "She was so much more than an athlete," the organization said. "A vibrant human being, wife, mother to a small boy, a business founder, and manager of her own company supporting people with disabilities. Someone who leads by example. RIP Natalie." Curtis' sister Sheree Poggioli has also organized a GoFundMe page to help her devastated family with funeral costs and set up a trust for her five-year-old son.