27 August 2024

Congratulations to our spinal patient, James, who will make his Paralympic debut this week for the wheelchair rugby team, Steelers, at the Paris Paralympic Games.

"After only playing for two and a half years, this is an incredibly exciting opportunity," he remarked.

The Steelers, currently ranked number one globally and aim to bring home the gold from the Paralympics.

In 2014, James was playing in the first game of the season in a local country football match in Albury-Wodonga. During the second quarter, while putting his head over the ball, he collided with an opponent's leg. It was a football move he had executed countless times before, only this time, it resulted in a shattered C5 vertebrae in his neck.

James was immediately rushed to Albury Base Hospital, and after scans revealed the severity of his injury, he was transferred to Austin Hospital for emergency spinal surgery. In the ICU, he was told there was a chance his lower limbs might regain some movement and sensation, but the definitive outcome remained uncertain.

At 20 years old and studying physiotherapy, James understood his injuries well. He had no feeling or movement below his chest and limited movement in his arms. After three weeks in our acute spinal ward and 11 months at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre, James aimed to regain as much independence as possible.

James was able to return home in early 2015 with the support of his family and friends. Reflecting on his time at the Austin, he chuckled, saying, "I was probably a nightmare for the nursing staff, with a constant stream of friends and family visiting at all hours."

James' fortune changed when he became eligible for triple nerve transfer surgery in both arms, significantly improving his ability to open and close them.

"I wouldn't have the level of independence I have today without that surgery – I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity," James shared.

Austin Health is one of only two sites in Australia where there is an established nerve transfer surgery program within a spinal cord service.

During his stay on the Royal Talbot Spinal Ward, James first observed a local wheelchair rugby competition. "After therapy ended for the day, there wasn't much to do, so I started attending the matches on a Wednesday night," he said.

Years later, when James began reintegrating into sports, he reached out to the local wheelchair rugby competition in Melbourne. What started as an offer to "fill in if needed" quickly garnered interest from the Australian Wheelchair Rugby team, known as the Steelers.

After four months of training with the Steelers, James was invited to a development competition in Texas. Impressing selectors, he made his debut for the national team in August 2022. By that October, he was at the Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in Denmark where the Steelers won, with James less than a year into his wheelchair rugby career.

Reflecting on his journey, James added, "It was a remarkable journey, from novice to World Champion in just 11 months, I thoroughly enjoyed it."

We wish James the very best on his Paralympic debut and we will be cheering him on!