‘The stars aligned for me to survive’
A champion water skier tells Jo LinesMacKenzie about battling back from his near-death experience.
SEAN Gardner thought his time was up as he lay face down in Lake Karapiro.
The long-time Australian competitive water ski racer suffered critical injuries when practising for Hamilton’s annual bridge-to-bridge water ski race down the Waikato River on November 9.
Gardner, 39, was on Lake Karapiro when they hit a cross wash. ‘‘I just fell. I just had a freak accident, that’s all,’’ Gardner said.
‘‘I remember being face down in the water, not being able to move, and honestly thinking, ‘this is the end, this is what it’s like to die’.’’
Gardner’s thankful for the quick thinking of fellow skiers Kane Carter, Perry Jamieson and Cole Varley who kept Gardner supported while they transported him to shore, with Carter telling him, ‘‘Stay with me, mate – we’ve got you, stay with us’’.
Gardner had suffered a brain hemorrhage, broken a rib and three thoracic vertebrae down the middle of his back, and dislocated the first vertebrae near his neck – the one that attaches to his skull.
The injuries required immediate six-hour surgery.
Wife Fiona Dagott called family straight away and his father and sister arrived overnight so they were bedside when Gardner woke up. ‘‘Initially, I thought he’s going to make it, he’s making lots of noise, he’s not going to die,’’ Dagott said. ‘‘Then you hear that from the surgeons – ‘Oh, actually, I may not have a husband any more’. So that has been pretty scary.’’
Gardner spent 13 days in Waikato Hospital but is now back in his Gold Coast home, recuperating.
A welder by trade he was already studying engineering – which is what he now believes will be his profession when he’s given the all-clear to work next year.
‘‘It’s definitely changed my perspective on life. I never took it for granted before in any way, but it’s definitely changed everything. You don’t sweat the little things now. You think of your family a lot more and just how precious and short life really is.’’
He likens his survival to winning the lottery. ‘‘If it wasn’t for all the people being there at the time there’s no way I would be here today. The stars all aligned for me to survive.’’
Gardner has numerous Australian and Queensland titles to his name but now he’s hung up his racing skis.
‘‘I think I am going to get into sailing a bit more now, it’s something I have always wanted to get into it. I love the water. I thought about doing some sport diving – but I don’t fancy being under the water too much at the moment.’’
Gardner wants to return to Hamilton for next year’s bridgeto-bridge race to thank all those that helped save his life.
He believes if it hadn’t been for the medical crews the result could have been different.
‘‘St John’s Shane Williams, Jeanette Fowler and Mike Pudney have over 70 years’ experience between them. And while the helicopter was on standby to take me to Auckland’s spinal unit, they recommended I went to Waikato Hospital which has one of the three top trauma units in the world.
‘‘I suspect that if I went somewhere else I probably wouldn’t be here.’’
‘I thought about doing some sport diving – but I don’t fancy being under the water too much at the moment.’ SEAN GARDNER