Crash parted couple for two years
Reunited after nearly two years apart following a devastating road crash, a New Plymouth couple share their experience of recovery with reporter Deena Coster
Being able to wriggle his big toe was a major moment for Michael McMenamin. Bedridden with spinal injuries after a serious road crash in Shanghai two years ago, the former New Plymouth Boys’ High School principal had no feeling from the waist down for months before the major breakthrough came from one of the smallest parts of his body. ‘‘That was a great moment.’’ It has been one of many small triumphs he and wife Tio have experienced in the wake of the terrible crash, which left their taxi driver dead and others injured.
After a four day stop-over in Shanghai in July 2016, the couple were heading to the airport to catch a flight to London when their taxi broke down.
When the driver got out to investigate, he was killed instantly after a truck hit the car.
Michael and Tio were taken to hospital for treatment, where each spent time in intensive care before returning to New Zealand.
‘‘He was seriously injured,’’ Tio says. Meanwhile, she had suffered significant injuries, including concussion and multiple fractures.
The medical intervention marked the beginning of their separation from each other for nearly two years, dictated by the demands of their rehabilitation.
Now reunited at their New Plymouth home, the couple are getting to grips with their ‘‘new normal’’.
Every aspect of their life and how they will tackle it now is discussed, and conquered, together. ‘‘We’re best friends,’’ Tio says. It’s a bond which has been well and truly tested but stayed true throughout months of gruelling rehabilitation.
Tio wasn’t able to move for three months. After a three-week stay in a Shanghai military hospital, she returned to New Zealand and was flown straight to Taranaki Base Hospital.
Her husband’s trip home, which took 24 hours, required a full intensive care team to be in tow.
‘‘We knew Michael was going to be in hospital for months,’’ she says.
But as soon as she was able, she made her way back to Michael, who at that time was in Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.
‘‘It was a major mission with me in a wheelchair but with the help of a good friend we were able to see each other.’’
From there, Michael was transferred to the Otara Spinal Unit, where he spent another six months. He went on to spend time in Christchurch’s Burwood Spinal Unit as well as the Omahanui special rehabilitation unit in New Plymouth.
‘‘The whole idea of the spinal unit is rehabilitation,’’ he says.
Progress there was slow and often relentless.
Days consisted of getting up (a time-consuming process in itself), going through his exercises meticulously and ensuring he got enough rest.
Charting his physical progress has been one aspect of the popular educator’s recovery but he admits getting to grips with his emotions was not always easy.
‘‘First, I didn’t believe what was happening – I thought I would be able to get up and walk again.’’
Next came anger, which can still bubble up now and again, but for the most part he has reached a point of accepting his ‘‘new life’’.
For the time being, part of his reality involves navigating the world in a wheelchair.
His high-tech, motorised wheelchair has the ability to lift him up to a standing position but he hopes to one day ditch it altogether.
‘‘That would be the ultimate goal – to walk again.’’
Tio recalls some tough times in the early days after the crash.
‘‘Working out how you are going to survive is quite a psychological challenge.’’
But she says instead of dwelling on the negatives for too long, the focus quickly turned to their future together and a motto that they were ‘‘going to get on’’ with their lives.
It’s an attitude which is buoyed by all of the little wins the couple have had along the way.
‘‘Every week we see improvements and that’s what keeps us going.’’
Their reunion was hampered by the time it took for their home to be modified to suit Michael’s needs. A whole section of the house has been transformed to create a wheelchairaccessible space for him, complete with an electronically operated hoist system to help him in and out of bed.
Despite the delay in getting back home, the couple could find no other fault with the medical care they received in China or New Zealand, the help from their health insurer as well as ACC, describing it all as ‘‘top-notch’’.
The help they have had from the Taranaki community – from people stopping in to mow the lawns or drop off food – has also been outstanding.
‘‘We’re very grateful for all the help we received,’’ Michael says.
Caregivers now arrive each day to help him with personal care and he keeps himself busy with a bit of web-based work, keeping up to date with what’s happening in the education field and with spending time writing.
So far he has written eight short stories and the first act of a play about his life.
He is also taking driving lessons, learning how to get around in the specially modified van the couple have.
Controlled by hand, getting a hang of how to drive the vehicle will be another achievement for Michael as he makes his way back to full independence.
‘‘We’re really looking forward to travelling together,’’ he says.
Their first trip away, to an opera concert in Wellington, is coming up and it will give them a chance to spend time with their only child Kathy and her family, which includes their twin grandchildren who are 3 years old.
Kathy has been a constant source of support for the couple and immediately flew to be by their side after receiving news of the crash.
In spite of their life-altering experience, the couple still count their blessings.
‘‘I think that whole thing of gratitude is important, especially for us,’’ Tio says.
It’s something Michael agrees with.
He feels like the same person he was before the crash, if not a slightly improved version.
‘‘I think it’s brought out all the positive characteristics in me,’’ he says.
‘‘Tio is a very strong and determined person and I’m a born optimist. I always look on the bright side of life.’’