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SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 21<br />
He has put himself back<br />
into a scenario where<br />
good things can happen.<br />
—Henry Matthews<br />
The first venture out<br />
No one knows what that feels like more than Terry. He<br />
can still remember the first time he went out for a coffee<br />
at The Plaza, he was incredibly self-conscious. “It was<br />
uncomfortable,” he says. “It was one of the hardest things<br />
I have ever done. I felt like everyone was staring at me. I<br />
felt so different to everyone else.”<br />
Terry’s first venture out was during peak COVID-19 time<br />
in New Zealand. Everyone was wearing masks, but Terry<br />
couldn’t wear a mask because he has asthma, and it<br />
would affect his breathing.“It was intimidating… I felt like<br />
I was going to have a panic attack.”<br />
But Henry was there to support him through it, and they<br />
tried again. Now going out feels normal. He loves getting<br />
out into nature and feeling the sea breeze on his face.<br />
Henry is proud of his good mate. “He has put himself back<br />
into a scenario where good things can happen; a lot of<br />
beautiful stuff happens when you are brave. I can’t wait to<br />
see what is next.”<br />
Finding hope again<br />
MAKING A DIFFERENCE—Henry Matthews says the<br />
Peer and Whānau Support programme has made a big<br />
impact over the past two years. Credit: Graeme Brown.<br />
New Zealand Spinal Trust Chief Executive Hans Wouters<br />
labelled it the most significant support for the collective<br />
spinal cord-impaired community in New Zealand since<br />
ACC's inception in 1974.<br />
Henry was one of those and he began the process of<br />
contacting wheelies in the Manawatu region. “I didn’t<br />
want to give up on Terry. I knew that he had faced some<br />
challenges and been out of society for a while. It’s not easy<br />
to come back from some of those challenges.”<br />
From that first phone call last year, the two now have a<br />
friendship that is like a brotherhood. “He’s just an<br />
awesome mate,” says Terry. “There have been a few times<br />
when I have been caught short and I needed a lift to<br />
hospital appointments or whatever…. it’s late and Henry<br />
will drop everything to be there for me. I know that he has<br />
always got my back.”<br />
Henry says the investment into Peer and Whānau Support<br />
has made a big difference to the spinal injured<br />
community. “To know that there is a dedicated team of<br />
people who are there fulltime to check in on people and<br />
make sure they are doing ok. That’s a huge step—you<br />
don’t know how much you need that connection until you<br />
don’t have it.”<br />
When Terry is asked what it feels like to have hope again, he<br />
pauses for a moment. “It’s an incredible feeling now to have<br />
that independence back,” says Terry. “I do have hope again<br />
and it has taken me a long time to be able to say that.”<br />
Terry’s eyes light up when he talks about getting behind<br />
the wheel of his adapted van. “It has been a long time in<br />
the making and I will be happy to see that arrive. Then I<br />
will be off. It will be hard to get my head around having<br />
that sort of independence. I have a lot of people to thank<br />
for never giving up on me. My mum and Henry, their<br />
support has meant everything.”<br />
He has advice for others in the spinal cord impaired<br />
community who are feeling lonely and isolated. “Be brave<br />
and step outside of your comfort zone,” he says. “There is<br />
a big wide world out there and you don’t want to miss out<br />
on opportunities because you keep saying no and taking<br />
the easy option. Give things a go. You don’t know where<br />
that moment will lead. You realise life is short and you<br />
don’t have forever.<br />
“We are all going through the same stuff and that shared<br />
experience is so important to feeling like you are not<br />
alone. The help I have had from Peer Support has changed<br />
my life, so I encourage anyone who was in a place like me<br />
where they were struggling and couldn’t break the cycle,<br />
reach out for help. There are good people waiting to help<br />
and support you through that journey.”