For Hayley-Marie Bushby nothing compares to the feeling of paragliding – running as fast as she can, leaping off a mountaintop and soaring through the air as if she’s flying.
“Once you’re up there, you can sit back, relax and look around, like, ‘Holy heck, this view is amazing’ and realise you’re in the sky with just a piece of material and a string,” enthuses the 29-year-old Cantabrian.
But in February 2024, just months after getting her licence to paraglide alone – or fly as it’s often termed – the unthinkable happened.
Hayley-Marie and her experienced paragliding partner Cory were at a jumpsite they knew well in Christchurch’s Port Hills. The wind was light and they assessed the conditions were safe as they completed preparation exercises on the ground. Then out of nowhere, a strong gust lifted them both about 20 metres into the air and slammed Hayley-Marie back into the ground at speed.
“It was just an absolute freak accident,” she recalls. “I don’t know what happened, but the wing collapsed, dropping me onto the ground feet first. I broke my legs, pelvis, back, ribs and had severe internal bleeding.”
A former first responder, Cory managed to land safely, running immediately to help his girlfriend.
“I wasn’t really breathing or talking and it took a long time for me to take a gasp of air,” says Hayley-Marie. “He could see my leg was snapped in half and knew my back was broken because I couldn’t feel my legs.”
For three days, doctors battled to stabilise the internal bleeding so she could undergo three operations on her legs, spine and pelvis.
Talking about the terrifying ordeal is strange for Hayley-Marie. Her last conscious memory before the accident is getting out of the car at the jumpsite.
“The first thing I remember afterwards is the surgeon saying, ‘You’ve broken your back and we need to operate. You probably won’t walk again, you’re paralysed,’” tells Hayley-Marie, who spent four months in Christchurch Hospital and Burwood Spinal Unit.
The T12 L1 injury, which means she’s paralysed from the top of her legs down, was devastating for Hayley-Marie. She’s always been very active, competing in bodybuilding, walking her dog Bailey daily and skiing every weekend in winter. “You compare everything to now and then. It’s like having two different lives.”
But the architectural designer refuses to give up the active pursuits that bring her so much joy. Beside her every step of the way is her dedicated support team, Cory, mum Raewyn and best friend Samaia.
It’s been challenging, but Hayley-Marie is back in the gym daily. She has learned to indoor rock climb, sit ski and kayak, and feels determined to walk again with the aid of a walker or braces.
ACC has supported Hayley-Marie with housing and wheelchair occupational therapy. It will fund a physiotherapist, but she hasn’t been able to find someone in Christchurch who supports her goals of walking again.
“I’ve done a lot of research and would love to meet someone if they’re out there,” she appeals.
For now, she’s travelling regularly to Tauranga for intensive private rehab at fully-accessible gym and recovery centre Next Step NZ, which costs around $2000 a week.
In her tireless efforts, Hayley-Marie also flew to America in October for stem-cell therapy, where cells extracted from umbilical cords of babies delivered by Caesarean section were injected into her spine and legs.
“The hope is the new cells go into my spinal cord and repair damaged nerves,” she explains. “Results can come for up to a year and be really varied. But you can get more motor function and movement, increased sensation, increased bladder and bowel control. It can also help with nerve and neuropathic pain, which I get a lot.”
It’s early days but she’s excited about the initial results. She shares, “I’ve started to regain function in my hips. If I’m in a [supported] standing position, I can lift my leg but my knee joints don’t work. My glute muscles have started to work too.
“The doctors say you’re paralysed and that it’s a complete injury. It’s pretty surreal the first time you notice feeling coming back, like, ‘Am I imagining things?’”
Hayley-Marie is not sure what the future holds, but she feels fiercely determined to live a life she loves. And she still hopes to paraglide again one day.
Other intentions for the new year are to travel, compete in adaptive CrossFit competitions and do a half marathon in her wheelchair.
She enthuses, “I want to get back to my life as normal as possible. I want to say yes to everything and try everything at least once.”
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