RUN FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T

I'm a morning person, it's the best part of the day to me. My feet hit the floor anywhere from 6-7am, 7 days a week. Running is my first thought every morning, it's my private, personal passion in life. I was a late starter at 23 but it has become my everything. Running is discipline, sacrifice, dedication, frustration and enduring pain and so much more. The time I rise is determined on my day-to-day commitments, my running is always what happens before my life happens.

I swing my legs over the side of my bed, stand and arch my spine to stretch it out and head for the shower. I open the shower door, flick the shower on and wait for it to heat up. I lift my tee over my head and drop it on the floor and step into the shower. There is nothing like the warmth of the jets of water running over my skin, the best way to wake up. I reach for the shampoo and squeeze the amount I need into my hand. I raise my arms, lather my hair and give my scalp a good massage. Then I reach for my soap and lather my body, from head to toe. I rinse off, reach out my hand and flick off the shower. I open the shower door and grab my towel. I don't know about all of you, but our towels always feel like sandpaper, I tell myself it's exfoliating my skin when I drag the towel side to side across my back.

I could keep writing and talking you all through the simple processes we all do, everyday and take for granted. Squeezing toothpaste onto my toothbrush, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, going to the bathroom and so on and so on.

When you wake tomorrow morning and you lay thinking in those first waking moments. Imagine the process of your morning. Everything you do, every little movement you make, everything you feel, it's all such a miracle that we take for granted. Our ability to move is incredible and to have it taken away I can't imagine. Very obviously without movement, everything has to be done for Brad, right down to wiping a tear away. In the simplest term our spinal cord is the freeway to sending all signals from our brain, to every part of our body and in Brad's case, the messages from his brain are not getting through.

Brad's morning process is nothing like ours. He wakes and waits for his caregivers to come and start his morning process for him. He can't swing his legs over the bed, he can't open the shower door or turn the shower on, he can't feel the warm water on his body, he can't brush his own teeth and this is the everyday fight Brad the athlete has to deal with.

Brad's future success and others living a similar life, very much depends on the generosity of the public getting on board and giving generously, to such worthwhile causes as the Brad Smeele Foundation and the CatWalk Trust. Brad has been working alongside the CatWalk Trust to help raise funds for groundbreaking spinal injury research happening right here in New Zealand, at the University of Auckland Centre of Brain Research. Brad works tirelessly on battling to overcome and beat the odds of moving his arms and legs again. He is doing all he can and takes full responsibility for his day-to-day exercise regime, he's a true athlete.

The unknown lies ahead for Brad, but the support and generosity from you all, will be the difference to what gets Brad and others in similar situations to walking and moving again.

Lana