Meningitis survivor chases Paralympic dream
A Levin equestrian rider has flown to Melbourne today in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Louise Duncan, fresh from winning a New Zealand Dressage Championship title in Taupo¯ late last month, is chasing a qualifying score from an international judge to meet the standard required to warrant a Paris berth.
The Melbourne trip is a leap of faith as Duncan is aware that even should she meet the qualifying benchmark, there was no guarantee the New Zealand team would send a rider in her class.
But she is willing to have a crack anyway in the pursuit of a dream.
Her horse Showcase BC boarded a plane for Boneo, Melbourne, on Wednesday, and Louise flew out this morning.
Duncan was confident of a good showing in Melbourne. She had quickly built a good rapport with Showcase BC in short time, despite some early setbacks.
“We’ve had him since June last year but not long after I spent a couple of weeks in hospital and then he had to go to Massey, but we just keep tracking up,” she said.
“We just get on. He’s a good horse. He’s got a great attitude.”
That talent was on show in Taupo¯ , winning the NZ title in her Grade 4 class and Hunniman Trophy for highest percentages combined over the whole show with scores of 71, 70 and 72 from international judge Mura Love.
“We’re pretty much going to Melbourne to chase a score of 74 or better from an international judge,” she said.
International qualifying standards required a score of 68 from an international judge at a recognised qualifying event for Paris, although Equestrian Sport New Zealand had a higher qualifying standard of 74.
That’s because sending a horse and rider to Paris could cost as much as $180,000. The NZ Paralympic committee had to be confident of a result. So while Equestrian Sport New Zealand standards might be satisfied, the final decision lay with the NZ Paralympic committee.
Duncan’s eyes were wide open. “Equestrian Sport NZ has been fantastic and very supportive but there is set criteria and we understand that,” she said.
Duncan, 35, has been here before. She qualified for Tokyo in 2021, but the outbreak of Covid-19 saw that dream dashed.
The Melbourne event will be a good test, competing against a team of Australian riders already confirmed for Paris.
Duncan was happy to share her story of survival as a means of spreading the message about the dangers of menningiccoal disease, in that it can strike anyone, anywhere, and what to look for.
She contracted meningococcal meningitis in 2005 while a student at Horowhenua College, aged 17. Her shoulder was sore, but the complaint was easily explained away as she had been riding all day
She woke later that night feeling ill, a complaint easily explained by a stomach bug doing the rounds.
But when her mother Frankie noticed a red rash on her eyelids, arms, hands and the soles of her feet, she rushed her to Palmerston North Hospital.
Just as well. Her body was beginning to shut down. Doctors couldn’t give an assurance she would survive. She continued having strokes and seizures while in an induced coma.
An agonising 10 days later, she woke up, but couldn’t speak. She was paralysed from the neck down. And so began a long and painful rehabilitation process.
Through frustration, she persisted. She learned to walk and talk again. And ride a horse again.
While she looks “normal”, her health issues are ongoing, including right-side weakness and some issues with memory. She has to be helped from her horse after competing. She suffered another minor stroke last year and spent two weeks in hospital, and is susceptible to shivers called cerebral irritations.
Paralympics required medical records to be updated regularly to classify riders. There were varying classes depending on the degree of disability of an athlete, and often riders are reclassified. Classes range from G5 to G1.
Duncan competes in the G4 class. Out of the saddle Duncan is a fulltime hairdresser. She has her own salon, which she opened in 2013.
She said her clients at the salon were supportive and encouraging, as was her family. She said she received huge support from her husband Justin, mother and father Lloyd and Frankie, and grandfather Ivan Johnston.
“My clients have been amazing. It’s fantastic. I’m really lucky,” she said.
The Paris Paralympic Games will be held in August.