Koha for Cam and Merryn through Spinal Cord Injury recovery

On Tuesday, 24 February 2026, Cam Mitchell had an accident while riding his motorbike from home in Lake Hāwea to work in Queenstown. He sustained a serious Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and is currently paralysed from the sternum down.

Cam sustained an injury to his T6 vertebrae, significantly impacting his spinal cord, with a current assessment of ASIA A (most severe). In addition to this, he has a fractured ankle and has had thumb surgery to reattach a ligament.

Cam has a long road ahead, but he's remaining very positive. He’s in the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch, and we expect to be here for around 4-5 months before heading home to continue his rehabilitation, which will take around 2 years.

We’ve been inundated with messages from people wanting to help, but not quite sure how to support from afar. The most helpful support right now is financial. We absolutely don’t expect anyone to give anything, but this platform gives you the option to provide koha if you’d like to help us through this time.

Any koha would be used to support both of us in whatever way is needed as Cam navigates his SCI recovery in the months and years ahead. Merryn is self-employed, and she does not have access to any support for loss of income during this time as she focuses her energy on supporting and caring for Cam. We’re exploring many alternative treatments and therapies to supplement Cam’s rehab to give him the best chance he can get. All of these are self funded.