Tetraplegia tough battle for body and mind
As a 20-year-old Sholto Taylor was a competent sportsman and felt bulletproof until one night he and his friends took their luck too far.
With a drink driver at the wheel, the carload of teenagers were in a head-on smash, leaving Taylor a tetraplegic with only his seatbelt saving his life.
Soon after Taylor found refuge and camaraderie through wheelchair rugby and still does, 26 years on.
Being part of the wheelchair rugby community has been one of those coping mechanisms that has helped him get on top of life – something that took many years of mind training.
The Canterbury Chargers captain is now 46 and helping others in a similar situation at the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch. He say he is living his best life possible – and it all comes down to attitude.
‘‘Just get out and give it a go and a positive attitude is everything. Everything is hard.
‘‘Especially when you become a tetraplegic, everything is hard. I won’t sugarcoat it. It really comes down to attitude, a positive attitude.
‘‘Negative thoughts on top of a negative incident don’t do anyone any good.
‘‘Some people don’t cope well at all . . . it can be a real struggle when someone is in that negative mode. And to be honest being a tetraplegic, it is quite easy to see the down side. You have just lost your legs. You have just lost you hands. You lose a lot of independence.’’
Taylor didn’t have a lot of time to wallow after his accident. He says he made a terrible decision getting in to the car with a drunk driver that night in the Hawke’ Bay, but having children at a young age meant he had responsibilities to push him through.
For the stay-at-home dad, recovery was a tough journey and he battled at times to keep his headspace from turning negative.
He found wheelchair rugby early on and aside from the physical health it has given him, it has also helped a lot with mental wealth.
‘‘We talk about how we get on with life, how we deal with everyday activities.
‘‘I was able to get into the wheelchair rugby community, everybody has got their little tips there. It is a very valuable network to have.’’
This weekend Taylor’s side is playing in the wheelchair rugby national championships in Papatoetoe.
Defending champions Waikato are the heavy favourites while the Bay of Plenty have entered a team for the first time.
Taylor is a former Wheel Black, but says he is concentrating on work and family life in Christchurch now. He moved to Christchurch just before the 2011 earthquake because he heard it had a good rugby community.
Gareth Lynch, 21, is also in the Canterbury Chargers team. Lynch was put in a wheelchair after a ‘‘stunt gone wrong’’ at university when he jumped off a platform and into a swimming pool. He got his landing terribly wrong.
Lynch has accepted his injuries, but looks back on the incident as a mistake. He is grateful for having his wheelchair rugby team as a support system.
‘‘I have been a sportsman all my life, so it didn’t take me too long to get into rugby.
‘‘I do get frustrated that I can’t be doing as much as I would like to be. I can’t let frustration become an everyday thing because it would rule you out of a fair bit.’’
Team-mate and Wheel Black Cody Everson received his injuries while playing rugby at high school and has since been supported by the Rugby Foundation.
Everson says he has gone through tough times, but again rugby has been an outlet for him.
‘‘You do get those times when you feel a bit down, you do feel like why did this happen to me?
‘‘But you can’t let it get you for too long because this is a lifetime thing and you do have to deal with it. That’s why rugby is really good, you meet new guys and you do really pick up things from people. It does help you.
‘‘You just have to get on with it and deal with what you’ve got.’’
Players’ spat revived
Spain and Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos continues to laud it over Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool striker injured his shoulder in the Champions League final when he tangled in a challenge with Ramos in a match Real won 3-1. The injury initially threatened Salah’s chances of playing in the World Cup finals for Egypt, but he recovered in time. However, Ramos may have ensured the spat that followed the incident – which saw him criticised by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – has continued at the Champions League draw yesterday. Ramos was picking up the award for Best Defender during last year’s competition at the draw ceremony and on his way back to his seat – directly behind Salah – Ramos touched his rival on the shoulder, a gesture which Salah didn’t acknowledge.
‘‘Just get out and give it a go and a positive attitude is everything. Everything is hard.’’
Sholto Taylor