Calum Von Moger Talks Suicide, Health Scares, and Learning to Walk Again After Medically Induced Coma

The future looks bright for Calum Von Moger, who appears to be optimistic and healthy in his latest interview. Taking to his YouTube channel, Von Moger reflected on his struggles over the last few years from injuries and close encounters with death. 

Having played a young and accurate Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film ‘Bigger,’ it didn’t take long for Calum Von Moger to reach international fame. Boasting a jacked physique and Classic lines, Von Moger was poised to be the next big superstar to come out of the sport of bodybuilding. 

Unfortunately, Von Moger has faced his fair share of hardships. He jumped out of a two-story window which resulted in near-catastrophic injuries. He was put into a medically induced coma to help him repair his body. Initially, medical professionals thought he would never walk again, but the Australian native made a full recovery.

He was also involved in a road rage incident and was eventually charged. While he and his lawyer fought the allegations in court, he was found guilty of intentional damage to property, unlawful possession of weapons, and carelessly driving a motor vehicle. Despite these setbacks, Calum Von Moger never gave up on his future. 

Calum Von Moger Talks Injuries, Close Encounters With Death, and Bouncing Back from Hardships

Injuries and accidents have served as constant challenges for Von Moger, who admits that a rock climbing incident was one of his most painful ordeals. 

“I couldn’t even recognize the sound of my voice, it was that much pain [from a rock climbing accident]. I was trying to communicate that I broke my leg or something because I knew straight away my leg was mangled. But I was trying to talk but it was also the most painful – it was like trying to speak but you can just here the pain in my voice.”

Although he found himself in a frightening rock-climbing situation, Von Moger was able to escape death. 

“I don’t know if I’m going to die, if the rope is going to break, I was freaking out,” adds Von Moger.

Even though Von Moger had dealt with physical setbacks throughout his life, he revealed that mental struggles got the best of him, and admits the passing of his brother certainly contributed to his grief. 

“I felt like the first few years was physical setbacks right? But, last year, 2022, 2022 I went through a rough patch. Then, 2023, as well, that’s they are the two years that I felt like I had my spirit, it was actually crushed.”

“I’ve never experienced such, never experienced that kind of depression with a broken spirit. I’ve broken my body and I’ve had physical breaks and things but when the mind breaks, that’s a scary place. That’s where I kind of went not like yeah, I went really quiet for a while.”

In 2022, he revealed that drugs and alcohol led him down a destructive path. 

“Yeah, 2022, I just went through a rough patch with my mental health, with drugs and alcohol, it was going down a destructive road and I didn’t really recognize it at the start. I couldn’t see myself on it but there’s a combination of things that led up to me in that kind of situation.”

After jumping out of a two-story window, Von Moger could have died, but believes his weight and muscle helped him live through the catastrophic incident. He says he doesn’t remember what was going through his head before the accident occurred. 

“Perhaps my neck would have snapped like a pencil [without muscle] because I had a bit of weight. I’m sure it could have been a lot worse. I got away with enough. I think the injuries that I got away with were significant enough to really alter my physical capabilities for a while.”

“I don’t remember a heck of a lot. I wasn’t sober. I’d been smoking some weed and I’d been drinking and I’ve been kind of self-medicating a little bit. So I wasn’t very coherent.”

With jagged pieces of glass plunged into his skin, Von Moger can remember seeing his dog and police officers when he woke up on the ground. Due to his broken back and other injuries, the doctors put him into a medically induced coma. 

“There was one of my mates was above me [when I woke up after the fall]. There was two police officers there. I looked up. There’s like my bedroom window and the roof and my dog Astro, my dog was on the roof, he jumped through the window [too] and looking down at me. I looked down and I had all these gashes in my arms. I tried to hold it closed because blood was coming out of it and then I just passed out.”

“They put me in an induced coma or something. They put me in a coma so I found out I had a broken back, had all these lacerations, had busted myself up.”

When he finally woke up in the hospital, Von Moger, paralyzed, had to learn how to walk all over again. 

“Woke up in the hospital, I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed, I couldn’t walk. I had to learn how to walk again and all that and that took a while because I couldn’t, I had a broken back.”

Having considered suicide following his brother Eddie Von Moger’s death, Von Moger eventually pushed those feelings aside because he didn’t want to put his parents through another tragedy. 

“It was scary. I was like, I kind of pre-ordained, I started planning my own suicide in my head. I wasn’t telling anyone about that. But I was going through these things and I told myself I’m not going to do it in Australia because I’m not going to put my family through what they been through.

I was like, yeah, I don’t know what to do, I looked, I considered all different things. I was waiting for my visa to be approved and told myself if it gets approved then I can go back to the States and just put a nine millimeter in my head and go out in the mountains and do that and be done with it and that’s it,” said Von Moger. 

Having long been open about his battles with depression and anxiety, Von Moger has become an unlikely role model for many people going through similar situations. While it’s unclear if a bodybuilding return is on the table, he has certainly teased the idea as of late, having posted a video on Instagram with the caption, ‘Tell them I’m coming.” 

Not only has his body healed from injuries, but Von Moger’s mental fortitude has grown following setback after setback. Fans look forward to seeing what he has planned in the near future, but regardless, he appears to be in a good place mentally. 

Watch the full video below: 

RELATED: Calum Von Moger ‘Finding His Own Place Back in World’ Talks Bodybuilding and Future Plans

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