Everything Under The Sun: A Way Back To The Water After Spinal Cord Injury

Friday, April 22, 2016

A Way Back To The Water After Spinal Cord Injury

Brad Smeele was working at a Florida wake park when his accident occurred.

Sometimes, getting back on your feet can mean a more literal, physical challenge. That is true for wakeboarder Brad Smeele of New Zealand.

Now, 29 years old, Brad has no feeling in his body from the neck down. He had a severe injury in a wakeboard accident in Florida in 2014 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic.

But this is one young man who hasn't left the sport he loves so much behind and forgotten in his life. Just recently, he was involved in opening a cable wake park in Auckland, on Lake Maraetai. For that event, he got on board a speedboat for a lakeside view of the action.

By being on board the speedboat, which provided the towline for the wakeboarders, Brad got a close-up view of the action. It meant he got to watch his friends pulling tricks on the towline. But, when you watch an event in which you are not participating, it can provide a mix of emotions, and that was also true for Mr. Smeele. He said, "It's always going to be bittersweet, but it's definitely more sweet than bitter,"

After the day full of action ended, Brad admitted, "Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Maybe it would just be easier to put wakeboarding behind me. I honestly never thought that such amazing times in my past could become such painful memories, But I guess I love it more than it hurts."

Of course, he continues to receive a large amount of support from his wakeboarding friends. It was they who had carried him into the boat and they also carried him out and placed him gently in his wheelchair, as he said, "I won't stop fighting for it."

That same determination has served Brad well in absorbing more ways to help himself. He recently learned how to control his wheelchair by using the joystick with his hand. He still can't really manipulate his hand and wrist, but shoulder movement is what helped him master the joystick.

Meanwhile, Brad still speaks the language and spirit of persistence, "It's going to be a bit of a process to transfer completely over from a straw in my mouth with the sip and puff control to the joystick...but it won't be long until I can talk, eat, drink, whistle, cat call, and commentate while driving."

Brad continues to live life as fully as he can.

Recovery from spinal cord injury can take that small step by small step ability to perform actions that had been so easy before the accident. But it is this spirit that can lead to inroads in assistive devices and work by technology developers to make better devices that help people like Brad lead fuller lives. And by remaining motivated, Brad will be able to take advantage of the latest advances.