SNN_August 2022 Issue_web low res

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 27
Outdoors kid from
the ‘Naki reflects on
remarkable life
NZST Board Member Bob Symon shares his SCI journey
over the past 38 years
—Bob Symon
For me the definition of a hero
is someone who has a choice.
You broke your neck as a young man playing rugby,
your life would have changed in a moment?
Yes absolutely. I lived a very different life up until that
point. I loved my climbing and being in the outdoors. I
loved everything about it. I was into mountain running
and tried my hand in skydiving and hang-gliding. I was an
outdoors kid from the ‘Naki. It was a huge shock to have
that all taken away and it took me a long time to adjust.
Following that you went to the Burwood Spinal Unit?
MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE: Bob Symon with his wife Janet.
On 14 April 1984 Bob Symon’s life changed
forever. The NZ Spinal Trust Board Member,
who was studying in his second year at Otago
University, broke his neck in a rugby tackle.
He was 20 at the time and a robust hooker
that loved the game. On that cool afternoon
at Logan Park in Dunedin, the self-confessed
“outdoors kid from the ‘Naki” [Taranaki] was
devastated.
Throughout his rehabilitation at the Burwood Spinal
Unit, Bob was in denial about his situation. But over time
he grasped his reality and committed himself to making
the most of life. He has done that and then some. We
caught up with Bob to talk about the highs and lows over
the past 38 years—he has lived an extraordinary life—and
how a chance encounter with his mate “Staffy” [Paul
Stafford] proved to be a turning point.
I was one of the worst patients at Burwood. I didn’t want
to be there. I wanted to start my new life again. I never
saw myself as someone who was courageous or a hero, you
are what you are. I don’t think you change much because
of your injury. You still have that ambition. For me the
definition of a hero is someone who has a choice. And
then makes that choice to face the adversity.
But as we know when you break your neck you don’t have
a lot of choices, you have got to go with the flow. The
courage part in that situation is making the decision to
get out of bed every morning and carry on. But that is no
different than anybody else. Your life has changed and
that is the way I looked at it. I had to make the most of it.
Maybe it was ignorance or something else, but I just
wanted to get on with it.
What was your experience like at Burwood?
Times were different back then. In 1984 it was a pretty
strict regime at the Burwood Spinal Unit. I was in there
from April until the end of the November. It was a long
time. Along the way I managed to damage my neck again
when I came out of my chair. I went through the
rehabilitation process at Burwood. It was a fantastic
place. I didn’t think so at the time. Hindsight is a great
thing and over time I realised how lucky I was to have
that support.