- Matt attempted a playful surfboard skim across a backyard pond, but crashed head-first into the shallow bottom
- Instantly becoming tetraplegic doctors warned he’d likely never walk again
- Six months later, after intense daily rehab he gradually regained movement in his left side and is now living with 70% mobility and deep gratitude
Here Matt Head, 39, Carterton, NZ tells his own story in his own words.
Sun warming my skin, I smiled at my wife Kate, then 43, daughter Lydia, nine, and son Thompson, seven.
‘This is the life,’ I said to Kate, taking a bite of my sandwich.
It was December 2024, and we’d spent the day hanging out with friends at the beach in Peka Peka on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Now it was just after 1pm and we were back at my mate Mike’s house for a picnic. Kids and adults sprawled out with picnic blankets on the grass around the 15-metre pond in the backyard.
‘Hey Matt, time to try that trick?’ Mike asked, surfboard under his arm.
We’d been chatting earlier about using the surfboard to skim across the pond to the other side.
‘Let’s do it!’ I replied.
With my family and friends watching on, Mike put the surfboard in position on top of the water. I took two big steps and leapt onto the board, propelling myself forward.
‘Go, Daddy!’ Thompson shouted from the bank.
Gliding over the water, I made it about half a metre across when suddenly, I lost my balance.
READ MORE: Romantic walk turned deadly after hiker plunged 60ft to her death
I felt my weight shift forward as the board flew out the side from under my feet.
The momentum launched me head first, and I tried to curl into a ball to protect myself.
But it was no use as my head struck the bottom of the shallow pond.
I heard a sickening pop as I collided with the mud, and everything went numb.
‘There’s something wrong with my neck’
Floating face down in 30cm of water, I tried to lift myself up using my arms. But I couldn’t move them.
Next, I tried my legs – nothing.
I need air, I panicked, my heart hammering in my chest.
It felt like an eternity, but was only about a minute before I heard Mike’s muffled voice through the water.
‘He’s not joking!’ I heard Mike cry, as water lapped at my ears.
Next thing I knew, Mike’s strong hands were rolling me over so I could breathe.
‘There’s something wrong with my neck,’ I choked, as I took in long slow breaths of air.
Seconds later Kate appeared beside me.
‘Someone’s called an ambulance,’ she said, as she and Mike worked to hold my body still.
Mike was at my head using his hands to stabilise my neck and prevent further damage.
‘Help is coming,’ Kate reassured me, adding that the kids had been taken inside.
I’d been in the water for about 45 minutes when I heard the wail of the ambulance sirens.
Wading into the pond, paramedics slid a spinal board underneath me to get me out of the murky water, and fitted me with a neck brace to prevent further injury.
They called the Life Flight Westpac Rescue Helicopter, and I was flown to Christchurch Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Around 90 minutes later we touched down.
I got a glimpse of a sliver of blue sky as I was wheeled inside, before I passed out.
When I came to, Kate and some doctors were by my bedside.
‘You’ve been in a coma for two weeks,’ Kate explained.
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I couldn’t believe how much time had passed. But there was worse news.
‘I’m sorry, Matt. You have tetraplegia,’ the doctor added, explaining it meant all four of my limbs were paralysed.
A CAT scan had revealed bone fragments peppered through my neck from the impact of the plunge.
A gruelling 10-hour surgery followed, as doctors removed the slivers of my shattered C4 and C5 vertebrae.
I realised the pop I’d heard was the sound of my spine exploding.
‘You’re lucky the break didn’t slice your spinal cord. You would have died instantly,’ he explained. ‘With an injury like this, it’s unlikely you’ll walk again.’
Stuff that. I’ll prove them wrong, I thought, determined.
Kate and the kids were my biggest motivation, as I threw myself into daily rehab.
I had occupational therapy and physio daily, where staff would manually lift my paralysed limbs up and down to stop my muscles wasting away.
And the kids were happy to help me with everyday tasks such as brushing my teeth and hair.
After three weeks, I was ecstatic when I managed to wiggle the fingers on my left hand.
It felt like hope.
Gradually, my arm got stronger, and by the following week I could make a fist.
When I realised I could move my toes, I knew there was no stopping me.
After two months I took my first step.
My right side still paralysed I used my left to shuffle forward.
Kate and the kids were at home, so I called them with the news and they were elated.
‘We’re so proud of you!’ they beamed.
Almost six months later, in early May, once I’d regained more mobility I finally went home.
Walking up the three stairs to my front door felt like a marathon, but when I made it to the top the kids whooped and cheered.
‘You’re amazing, Daddy,’ they said.
I’ve now got around 70 per cent functionality in my left side but I can’t bend my right knee or my ankle by myself.
I can drive our modified car, cook meals and take Lydia, now 10, and Thompson, eight, to the park, and for that I’m grateful.
I can’t thank everyone enough who has helped me on my recovery journey.
I’m unable to return to work as a builder but every step I take is a miracle, and each moment I get to spend with my family is a blessing.
To support Life Flight Westpac Helicopter visit lifeflight.org.nz/donate-now
Kate,44,says:
Matt amazes me with his determination to keep going and contribute to the family and our community to his full potential. He gives 120 per cent every day. Without a doubt this is why he has made such great progress in his recovery, and I am in awe of what he manages to do.
