A broken back has left Hāwea’s Cam Mitchell in a wheelchair, but determined to make a full recovery, he is fundraising for rehabilitative care in Australia. “It was a lovely day so I decided to ride my motorbike to work over in Queenstown,” Mr Mitchell said. “On the lower part of the Crown Range on Cardrona Valley Road, an overtake manoeuvre didn’t quite go to plan, I lost my line and ended up on the side of the road.” Members of the public with medical training were the first on the scene, providing care and passing information to the medics that arrived by helicopter, but Mr Mitchell knew the prognosis was not good. “Very quickly I couldn’t feel my, or couldn’t move my legs. “I could feel kind of pins and needles, and tingling.” Mr Mitchell was flown directly to Christchurch Hospital, where doctors discovered that he had suffered a burst fracture of the T6 vertebra in his spine. “I didn’t quite understand the gravity of the situation,” Mr Mitchell said. “I thought I would still be going on holiday [to] Bali in a few weeks’ time, but quickly, within a day or two, I realised it was going to be a longer journey than that.” After being discharged from Christchurch Hospital, Mr Mitchell was moved to Burwood Hospital where he received rehabilitative treatment in the spinal unit for four months. Mr Mitchell received good care as an inpatient at Burwood, learning how to live life in a chair, but when he was discharged, he lost access to the rehabilitation team. “There are only two spinal units in New Zealand, one in Burwood in Christchurch and another up in Northland, so they’re in very high demand,” Mr Mitchell said. Looking to recover to the fullest extent possible, Mr Mitchell established that his best option was to attend the Making Strides clinic on Australia’s Gold Coast. Speaking to the Wānaka Sun from the Gold Coast, where he is undergoing a trial period, Mr Mitchell said, “Making Strides is a world leader in what they do”. “There was a centre in Mount Maunganui and while they do have the ability to help spinal patients, it’s not their core focus . . . when we spoke to anyone had been at or heard of Making Strides, it really affirmed the choice that we needed to be there to give me the best chance.” Mr Mitchell said while he had to travel to Australia for the clinic, he was grateful to have only had to take a three and a-half hour flight, with other patients in the clinic hailing from South Africa, Switzerland and Japan. [Missing Credit]In hospital with his dog Mitch after his motorbike accident Cam Mitchell said he stayed positive simply by being himself. Photo: Supplied Explaining the difference in care available in Australia, compared to staying in New Zealand, Mr Mitchell’s partner Merryn Jolly said while ACC provided access to some incredible people locally, a lack of specialist equipment in gyms in Wānaka was a limiting factor. “Today he was riding a bike and he’s using his core and his hips and transferring power through his legs, which is getting movement through his legs for bone density and muscle. “In a normal gym, we just couldn’t do it, you need a few staff members to get him on the bike in the first place and specialised things to support him on it,” Ms Jolly said. [Missing Credit]Cam Mitchell and his partner Merryn Jolly in Australia where Cam will receive spinal cord rehab. Photo: Supplied The care offered by Making Strides is world-leading, but it is also costly, with Mr Mitchell and Ms Jolly working hard to fundraise for the treatment. Mr Mitchell said funding six months of rehabilitation and related costs at Making Strides would cost around $150,000. “It’s a huge call to make and its a huge effort in terms of fundraising, but we don’t want to look back and ask why did we not give it our best shot,” Ms Jolly said. In a bid to fundraise the finances for his treatment Mr Mitchell and his employer Real NZ will be hosting “Cruise for Cam”, a return cruise across Lake Wakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw which includes entertainment and a buffet dinner at the Homestead Restaurant, with 100% of the proceeds going toward Mr Mitchell’s treatment. Tickets for the cruise on September 5 can be purchased from Humanitix for $200, with the couple hoping to raise $50,000 to $60,000 through the event. Despite the severity of his condition Mr Mitchell has remained positive throughout the treatment he had received so far. “I’ve been asked a lot how am I still laughing but I’m just being me, it’s who I am. “This accident, it’s changed me in some ways, but it hasn’t changed me from being me and who I am, I’ve always considered myself a realistic optimist. “I very quickly thought that it could be much worse, I could have ended up dead, I could have had a traumatic brain injury, I could have had a higher level of injury,” he said. Mr Mr Mitchell hoped his story could help raise awareness and educate others on spinal cord injuries. “It isn’t something that you really think about until you go through it or someone you know goes through it, but it’s just so much more than not being able to walk,” he said. evie.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz
