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Canterbury and New Zealand cricket legend Chris Cairns is focused on his family following several health emergencies which almost cost him his life.
The former Black Caps all-rounder is splitting his time between Blenheim and Australia, spending time with family in the region and coaching with the Marlborough Cricket Association.
Speaking to residents at Springlands Lifestyle Village in Blenheim on Friday, the sporting great spoke candidly about his health.
The 56-year-old had a spinal stroke following heart failure due to an aortic dissection that almost killed him in 2021.
“I was a bit of a walking time bomb,” he explains.
“I remember taking the kids to school but don’t remember coming home.”
At one point he was given just a 50/50 chance of making it and endured an initial 8-hour surgery. His liver and kidneys then started to shut down and he developed sepsis.
“I had to go to surgery four times. After the fourth time they left my chest cavity open for 36 hours in case I needed more surgery.”
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer by chance just months later.
The shock diagnosis at 51-years-old was the “best thing that happened”, he says.
“They realised I had weakness in my legs and confirmed I’d suffered a spinal stroke causing paraplegia.
During the three months in rehab, I couldn’t even wipe my own backside.
“The that really got to me was the loss of bowel and bladder control, I was in a nappy every day.
“… a nurse found blood in my stool. They arranged a colonoscopy and when I saw the specialist he said bowel cancer was the best thing that could have happened to me.
“It was early stage, so I had three months of chemo and then they put a colostomy bag in.”
He told people in the lifestyle village’s packed community centre he came to see the diagnosis as a positive.
“For me, this was an upgrade in my life. I was very lucky to get bowel cancer. I can go out and socialise, I can travel. The loss of bowel function was horrendous.
“For me, going forward now, life is just different.”
Chris is full of energy and smiles. He easy manner combined with a sense of humour makes him an instant hit with the receptive audience. He exudes a quiet strength that has seen him through some very dark times.
While he speaks openly about some of the worst times in his life, he shares with a matter-of-fact attitude, there is no regret or anger. He is grateful for his family, for his five children and that he is alive today to see them grow up. Family is his focus.
But that too has not been without its ordeals. Speaking about the sudden loss of his sister Louise when she was just 19 years old, Chris explains that was the first time in life he experienced tragedy.
“It was the first time it had taken a serious turn,” he explains. “I was 23 and got a call while I was in England to say my sister had been killed at a level crossing in Rolleston.”
A passenger on the train, Louise was tragically killed when a cement truck ploughed into the train. Sitting in the first carriage with two other 19-year-old girls (who she did not know) all three died.
“I didn’t deal with the grief,” Chris says.
“I didn’t process it and when I reflect back on that, I should have given myself time to grieve. I think that was reflected in my cricket and the way I played too.”
Chris played 279 times for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006, including in 62 Test matches. Showing the audience some of his career highlights, Chris joked he’d had to search to find clips where he played well.
“I started to play some good cricket in the 1990s and 2000s. When I was five or six years old, my goal was to be the best all rounder in the world and I managed to hold that mantle. I was fortunate to reach that pinnacle”
Watching his younger self sprint up to bowl on TV, you can hear the heavy thwack of the ball as it hits the bat. Horns blare and the crowd roars its appreciation.
Far from being resentful about what he has lost, Chris talks about what he is grateful for.
Born in Picton on 13 June 1970, Chris says he was lucky to have such a successful career, paying tribute to his parents for their help.
His dad, who used to work at the Picton Freezing Works, is former international bowler Lance Cairns. Chris joked while his dad wasn’t his favourite cricketer, that title went to the likes of Ian Botham, he was still a hero.
“He was almost the folk hero of New Zealand cricket. Everyone warmed to the old man because he played with a smile on his face.”
He describes how his mum (Sue Wilson) would take him to practice, sitting for two hours as he was put through his paces before returning home to cook dinner for the family.
“Without her support I would not have achieved what I achieved,” he explains with a smile.
‘Sport is about luck; it really is but success comes at the intersection of luck and hard work. I was very, very lucky, I had a wonderful career.
"It’s not what we endure, cos we all have our own battles, but how we endure it.”