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NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 12 Andrew wants to make a difference for New Zealanders living with a disability. Soon after Andrew was surrounded by paramedics and he heard a helicopter overhead. “I knew what it meant when they told me I was going straight to Christchurch, something was seriously wrong with my spine,” he says. The Life Flight Trust helicopter landed in Hagley Park, and Andrew was taken straight into hospital for scans and then surgery. It is all one big blur. Andrew was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and was fighting for his life. “When I woke up, three weeks later, the world had changed,” he says. The long road to recovery Andrew had injured his neck between the C4 and C5 vertebrae. A disc shot forward and crushed his spinal cord. There were also fractures and snapped ligaments. They removed the disc, took a bone graft from his hip, put that in between the vertebrae, bolted it together with a metal plate and left it to stitch together. Andrew was told he was now tetraplegic. “That term is quite scary,” he says. “My family was hearing that term, and what they were seeing was scary too. I was lying in an induced coma with tubes coming out of my mouth and nose. They were being prepared by doctors that I’d likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.” It was a fate that he never accepted. From the outside Andrew looked completely asleep, but he was far from it. “My brain was going crazy with dreams, hallucinations and visions,” he says. “Talk of this crazy new pandemic world was coming through into my dreams.” In the second week Andrew started to wake up and wanted to tick off his first milestone of breathing by himself. “I set the goal to walk out of this place” In Andrew’s post ICU assessment, the doctor noticed a flicker of movement starting to happen in his legs. “I allowed myself to think, ‘maybe I’ll walk again’. And off I went to Burwood Hospital to start my rehab.” Andrew says the awakening of his muscles was “hugely positive” and the days were filling up as rehab started. “But there were dark times too. I didn’t sleep much, and my mind started to wander to; ‘What’s going to become of me … what if … why didn’t I take that bail out rather than turning right?’ I was frustrated with the feeding tube in my nose, necessary due to the damage done to my throat during the operation,” he says. Andrew is a visualiser. He set to work visualising a particular muscle engaging, over and over for hours. He reached milestones like scratching his head and brushing his teeth and set bigger goals. “I wanted to walk out of this place, and I wanted to walk well—well enough to walk in the bush. I wanted to play chords on the guitar and play the piano again,” he says. Andrew achieved his goal of walking out of Burwood Hospital which was an emotional moment. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, to learn to walk again. I’m immensely proud of that.” “Incredible recovery beyond expectations” Andrew’s ACC Recovery Partner Sharon Smith says Andrew, ever since he regained consciousness, has been totally committed to his recovery.
SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 13 “I found a quote from his medical notes which sums him up to a tee, ‘Andrew has been a model rehab patient at Burwood, always achieving beyond early expectations’.” Sharon says it is “an amazing recovery” story of mind over matter, which is all about Andrew’s resilience and positivity. “Despite having suffered a very serious spinal injury, Andrew managed to return to his pre-injury role, working full-time barely eight months after being on life support in ICU. That’s incredible.” She says Andrew’s story is a great example of mind over matter. ACC has played a leading role in Andrew’s rehabilitation. “ACC have been an incredible support in my recovery,” says Andrew. “It is a huge relief to know that all of your expenses and rehab is taken care of so you can focus on getting back to work and living independently.” Andrew’s return to work was supported by the NZ Spinal Trust Vocational Consultant Deb Le Cren (see following article). Getting back to reality Back to the real world and it was overwhelming. Andrew had his family, his job and his recovery to juggle. He went from having physio twice a day in hospital to twice a week. “It has been a reset time, and a time to set and reach new goals. My goals are always aspirational, I couldn’t wait to give Mt Kaukau a go. Leslis says he is seeing the world differently now. He has started formulating how his new view on the world will influence his work with Recreation Aotearoa. One in four New Zealanders have a disability and Andrew wants to work with the Department of Conservation to make tracks more accessible all over Aotearoa. “The day I spent at Kura Tāwhiti—Castle Hill during my rehab was magical for the whole of me. Recreation is the fundamental thing that is healing me and I want to make that easier for others with a disability. “I still grieve for the things that I used to do be able to do—I would love more than anything to go mountain biking with my daughter—but I refuse to wallow in that. “There are potential upsides. I’m the type of person who will use my influence to amplify this. I am now, and always will be a C4/C5 ASIA D tetraplegic, but I am still me. I’m the same, but a little bit different and I want to make a difference.” QUALITY RENTAL VEHICLES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES • FREEDOM • INDEPENDENCE • MODIFIED CARS • HAND CONTROLS • FAMILY OUTINGS • APPOINTMENTS 0800 864 2529 www.freedommobility.co.nz
Page 1 and 2: July 2021 Volume 24 / Issue 2 SNNSp
Page 3 and 4: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 3 Don’t Pract
Page 5 and 6: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 5 Supporting Po
Page 7 and 8: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 7 Tour of Duty
Page 9 and 10: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 9 My turn for c
Page 11: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 11 Back on Top
Page 15 and 16: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 15 How has the
Page 17 and 18: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 17 Woman’s Be
Page 19 and 20: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 19 Mustang V8 E
Page 21 and 22: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 21 —Rhys Benn
Page 23 and 24: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 23
Page 25 and 26: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 25 consumed by
Page 27 and 28: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 27 “You Will
Page 29 and 30: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 29 ic Ergonomic
Page 31 and 32: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 31 Other new bo
Page 33 and 34: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 33 The grant en
Page 35 and 36: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 35 Thank you to

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