A Kiwi tradie who was living on the Gold Coast became paralysed from a surfing accident just 24 hours before flying home for his engagement party last year.
Jonathan ‘Johnny’ Konings, now 32, moved to the beachside neighbourhood of Kirra in Queensland in 2022 with his partner of seven years, Charlie.
Coming from Hamilton, the couple hoped to start a life full of sunshine, beaches, and surfing.
However, on June 18 last year, Johnny had a freak wipeout while surfing at Duranbah beach, landing him in a wheelchair potentially for the rest of his life.
Johnny told the Daily Mail the morning of the accident was a normal one, “avo on toast with the missus” before going to meet with a client for the first job of his day.
When the meeting got pushed back, Johnny decided to make the most of the ideal conditions and get out in the surf.
He had been surfing since he was 16 and said that day, “was one of those days where you don’t have to sit there and study it too long… it was looking pretty fun”.
But on his first wave, his landing went wrong, and he was thrown into the ocean floor, hearing a “clunk” as his body hit the sandbar.
“It took a few moments for me to resurface,” Johnny said. “I was pretty winded, so I was concentrating on my breath, and then a few moments later, I realised that I couldn’t feel anything or move my legs.”
A nearby surfer helped to stabilise him on two surfboards before sprinting to a nearby beach to get help, but he was struggling to breathe due to a punctured lung and three broken ribs.
Johnny had to wait 45 minutes for a lifeguard to get to him by jet ski, where he was then airlifted to a Hospital in Brisbane, the only facility in Queensland equipped with a spinal rehabilitation ward.
“All I could think was Charlie, as we were meant to fly to New Zealand the next morning for our engagement party.”
Scans showed he had a burst fracture on his vertebra and a dislocation. The damage to his spinal cord was classified as ASIA A, which is the most severe form of paralysis.
Although surgeons operated immediately, he was told he would never walk again.
“Those were some of the darkest days of my life, and our life, to be honest,” Johnny told the Daily Mail.
“There is so much grief that comes with not being able to use your legs. It’s like a whole version of yourself that dies.”
His injuries have left him unable to work, and while most spinal cord injury survivors in Australia are eligible to receive assistance through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Johnny and Charlie have not lived long enough for citizenship or access to the scheme.
The couple is having to privately fund his medical needs, specialist therapy, equipment, and daily care alongside rent.
Charlie is now Johnny’s full-time carer, while also having to find paid work to support both of them, with catheters alone costing over $21,800 per year, according to the Daily Mail.
Now, the couple hopes that with community support, they can rebuild their dream lives, which will also include children in the future.
Due to his injuries, Johnny and Charlie have been advised to begin IVF as soon as possible, which is another massive financial burden.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Johnny said.
