SNN_August 2020 Issue FA_low res

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 19
right?’… you had a really bad landing’. And I remember
saying ‘Boys, I can’t feel my legs’.”
His mates called an ambulance and he was flown by
helicopter to Christchurch Hospital for emergency
surgery on his spine. Jayden’s most vivid memory was an
overwhelming feeling of fear.
“I had a panic moment and then I tried to chill out with
the boys, and had a bit of a prayer time with them. I was
really scared.”
Jayden spent six days in Christchurch Hospital recovering
from his surgery and then three months in the Burwood
Spinal Unit (BSU), where his rehabilitation began.
He said he owes the team at BSU a huge amount for how
much they helped him.
“The first few weeks were really hard. It was a challenge
just getting up and out of bed, and my body was really
sore, but the help of the team there was huge. It was a
great experience.
“My OT [Occupational Therapist] and physio told me that
they had seen plenty of cases like mine and they just
wanted me to get me moving and rehabilitated as best
they could. They were so encouraging in my
development.”
The hardest part of the mental challenge was the
adjustment of returning home to Palmy.
“I did throw myself into a lot of the physical challenges,”
he said. “Getting out of bed and getting that confidence
up to be able to roll up and down the hallway to the gym.
Once I had that confidence, it was a really good
experience, it was a mental shift for me.”
His parents, Mark and Kathy, were omnipresent
throughout every moment of his stay at the BSU.
“It was pretty awesome having my parents there every
day of the journey. They have just kept me positive and, to
know they were there to chat about stuff, has been huge.
“If I was ever hungry, they would whip down to Burger
King and get me a burger and a sundae. They are awesome
supporters of me and there is no doubt that I couldn’t
have done it without them.”
When he was in Burwood, Jayden had plenty of time to
think. He wrote down the goal of walking out of the
hospital but, unfortunately, that became “a bit
unreachable”.
“It was good for me to think that way anyway for added
motivation. Another goal was to be nice and competent
getting around in my wheelchair. I wrote down the goal to
leave Burwood in a positive mental state and a good
physical state, and I felt like I achieved that.”
Aside from picking up his passion for photography again,
Jayden has also kept his love for music alive. Before his
accident, he played drums in a band at his church for nine
years. He has since turned his attention to learning the
bass guitar.
“With my accident, it makes it a real challenge to keep on
playing the drums,” he said.
Jayden said his accident was a really scary day – but the team at Burwood
were a “massive help in my rehab and keeping me positive”.
“So I thought ‘why don’t I start up a new instrument?’.
We needed a bassist in our band, and it isn’t too different
from the drums, in terms of the chords, and the beats and
stuff. It is going really well. It is a nice distraction from
life. Eventually, I will be coming back into the band that I
was in, so I am looking forward to that.”
Jayden said his faith has also been a key pillar in his
mental strength and getting through the hardest period
of his life.
“My faith has helped me heaps,” he said. “Having my
church friends around and just having people I can sit
down and pray with. We are still working through how
hard it has been for me but, having my faith it is
important. I know that God is looking out for me.”
Jayden has some simple advice for anyone who sustains a
spinal cord impairment and is at the start of their journey.
“There is always a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
“Especially at the start, it may feel like the world has
fallen in on you. But whatever situation you are in, there
are always going to be better days ahead. There will be
hard times throughout your journey, but you will get
through it, and the better days make it all worthwhile.”
The afternoon up on the Arapuke Forest Park trails was
one of the “better days” he is talking about. It is good to be
back. It is different but then, again, Jayden had prepared
for that.
Jayden has an old head on young shoulders. He has
experienced plenty in the past six months and he is not
looking back. He is over the toughest part of his journey
and he is ready for the next chapter, the next challenge.