Let’s get Elliott outside enjoying life again

On Monday 7th July 2014, Elliott Keys, aged 14, was enjoying a mountain bike ride with a couple of friends on the trails in Oropi Forest, just outside Tauranga, when he misjudged a jump, missed his landing point and fell, hitting the ground head first. Elliott broke his neck at C4, leaving him a tetraplegic with no movement from the shoulders down. The C4 vertebra, being completely smashed, was removed and replaced with a bone graft from his hip, held in place with a titanium plate and screws.

The past few months have been extremely traumatic for Elliott and his family. After spending four weeks in ICU in Tauranga Hospital, Elliott was transferred to the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch for his ongoing care and intensive rehabilitation. This meant an extended period of relocation for his Mum and Dad – Tracy and Mike, and his two younger brothers Matheson (7yrs) and Olivier (1yr). Not only was this relocation disruptive for his family but it was also an isolating time for Elliott as his friends were unable to visit as easily.

Fast forward to February, 2015, and Elliott has just been transferred back to his home in Mt. Maunganui. His rehabilitation will continue and will be a lifelong commitment requiring dedication and hard work. Through determination and effort Elliott has managed to regain some muscle flickers in both biceps. We are hopeful this may develop into being able to use a joystick to control his wheelchair but he has a long way to go to achieve this. For now, Elliott is able to move around using head controls on his current wheelchair.

Elliott, now 15, is a past student of Bethlehem College, but was being home schooled at the time of his accident and looking towards a future as a marine biologist and/or pilot.

He is an action man, used to living life to the fullest. He loves the sea and the beach, enjoying diving, surfing, paddle boarding and kayak fishing. Elliott obtained his diving certificates at a very young age, and was Tauranga’s youngest PADI rescue diver. Equally at home in the snow, Elliott was handy on a snowboard or skis and also really enjoyed ice skating. He played inline hockey for the Tauranga Ducks and loved tennis, golf and soccer too.

Elliott had been pestering his dad for years to get into hunting, so they had just signed up with Tauranga Deerstalkers to do an intensive bushcraft course. The last thing Elliott wrote in his own handwriting before the accident was an application to join Youth Search and Rescue, a pretty serious commitment.

Those people that know Elliott will realise that this all makes this injury especially devastating for a young man well used to high energy activities. Mountain Biking was a favourite family activity and, prior to his accident, Elliott spent most of his free time mountain biking around the local tracks and trails, especially enjoying trips over to the trails in the Redwood Forest in Rotorua, with his family and friends, most weekends.

Many times over the past few months questions have been raised – ‘how can we help?’ and ‘what support can we offer?’ With Elliott and family being down in Christchurch it’s been very difficult to answer these. Now back at home it’s becoming evident what will be required for Elliott to be able to live his life to the fullest. Elliott’s future is more unknown now than before his accident, but we do know he is going to require lifelong care and many things will be required along the way to enable him to live a fulfilling life. That is why we have set up this fundraising page.

Elliott’s most immediate need is a suitable outdoor electric wheelchair so that he can again enjoy the outdoors with his family and friends, as he did before the accident. As he is unable to move his arms or hands, it needs to be able to be fitted with head controls. Extensive research has found Elliott is going to need at least $40,000 to make a suitable purchase, have it modified for his particular medical needs, then shipped to his home. The most suitable option found to date is a Mojo – developed and constructed in Melbourne (visit the Gallery to view images) https://vimeo.com/117560972

Elliott needs to get outside in the sun and fresh air, enjoying the beach and forests and all the beauty that outdoors in NZ has to offer. With planning and equipment, we hope to start to bridge the gap between the ‘before and after’.

Elliott has a website under construction which has more information about his recovery journey. Please visit it soon for further updates and photos http://www.elliottkeys.nz/ Facebook updates can be found at https://www.facebook.com/elliottkeysnz

All donations received will go into a bank account setup and administered by Tracy and Mike especially for Elliott’s ongoing care.

Your help is appreciated beyond what can be expressed.

Let’s help Elliott get his Mojo back.