The 48-year-old is in Christchurch for a training camp this weekend as she prepares for the Invictus Games in October.
The Games bring together military personnel from around the world who have been injured or ill.
Fairbairn has found them a great focus, as she continues to experience the after-effects of a collapsed lung and closed head injury from a motorcycle crash while with the air force in 1988.
It will be her second Games after she travelled further than anyone to get to Toronto last year.
This time around it will be a shorter trip — to Sydney — and she is excited to go there.
"It’s really good that it’s only in Australia. I’ve got my family coming over this year to support me, which is awesome.
"I had my Canadian family supporting me, but they weren’t on site as such so it was pretty nerve-racking over there at times."
She will compete in the three sports she did last time — archery, swimming and indoor rowing — and has has also picked up yachting.
It was in archery in which she claimed a bronze medal in the team event a year ago.
However, it is the swimming she is most nervous about.
Having a collapsed lung makes it the hardest event she can do and, after tackling that challenge last year, she had wanted to drop it.
However, her coach would not let her.
A rule change also meant she could not just do the mixed relay and would also have to do the 50m freestyle.
Despite that, she knew if she could do that, she could do almost anything.
"Last year in Toronto it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
"I was a nervous wreck, my coach had to stand next to me on the starting block or I’d still be standing there right now.
"I managed to dive in and swim my 50m and, granted my last three breaths were pure water, we made it there."
Fairbairn said it was her last trip to the Games as it was someone else’s turn after this time.
She is working full time as an early-childhood relief teacher, although once free of Games commitments, she will look for a more stable job.
