SNN_December_2023

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 27
There’s always a light at
the end of the tunnel.
—Jayden Glentworth
Unit where he spent the next three months in
rehabilitation learning how to become mobile again.
“The first few weeks were really hard,” he admits. “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.
“My occupational therapist and physio told me they’d
seen plenty of cases like mine and they just wanted to get
me moving and rehabilitated as best they could. They
were so encouraging in my development.”
Jayden’s parents have also been there for him every step
of his journey. “They’re awesome supporters of mine and
there’s no doubt that I couldn’t have done it without
them,” he says. “They’ve kept me positive and to know
they’re always there to chat about stuff has been huge.”
Mark says every time they went into their son’s room over
the three months he stayed at the Burwood Spinal Unit,
they tried to be encouraging and positive. “There were
times when that was quite difficult, but I think that it was
really important just to let him know he wasn’t on his own.”
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,” he says. “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.”
Through it all, Jayden has retained his sense of humour
and love of extreme sports. With the help of ACC, Jayden
was able to access those physios and occupational
therapists, as well as having his car fitted out with hand
controls so he could get his licence and be self-reliant.
With an electric trike, he’s able to race around the
mountain bike tracks of Wanaka where he’s now based.
He’s also taken up sit-skiing and trains with the Cardrona
Alpine Para Race Team in the hope of one day making it
to the Paralympics.
In the meantime, he’s happy to enjoy the snow and simply
have fun while training. “It’s incredibly freeing,” he says.
“I can ski just as well and better than a lot of able-bodied
people, it really levels the playing field.”
Jayden is a member of the Para Sport Collective, a
programme run by Paralympics New Zealand. It is for
athletes in the pre-High-Performance stage of the Para
sport pathway, where a need was uncovered for greater
support and community.
His advice to others who are recovering from
life-changing injuries is to try to stay positive and keep
leading an active life.
NEVER GIVE UP—No matter how bleak your situation may appear, Jayden says there will be a way forward.