A young surfer fears he will never walk again after a powerful wave smashed him into a sandbank and broke his spine.
Johnny Konings, 31, suffered a broken spine, bent spinal cord, broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung after a bizarre wipeout during the first wave of his session at Duranbah Beach on the Queensland-NSW border last Tuesday.
The Kiwi resident was held above the surface of the water by other surfers before being carried off the beach and airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
He has since undergone surgery but is paralyzed from the waist down and has no feeling in his legs.
“At worst it is unlikely he will walk again,” his fiancée Charlotte Gordon told Nine News.
Johnny Konings (pictured with his fiancée Charlotte Gordon) suffered a broken spine, bent spinal cord, broken ribs and a collapsed lung last Tuesday after a bizarre wipeout during the first wave of his session at Duranbah Beach on the Queensland-NSW border
The young couple, who got engaged during a snow trip in January this year, were due to celebrate their upcoming wedding with family and friends across the ditch in New Zealand this week.
Instead, Mrs Gordon is by his side at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, facing a long road to recovery.
She wrote on one GoFundMe fundraiser for her fiancé’s recovery that after the accident, “life as we knew it changed in an instant.”
“On his first wave of the day, he hit a sandbar and broke his back, bent his spinal cord, broke a few ribs and had a slightly collapsed lung,” she wrote.
“He was held above the surface and helped ashore by a group of surfers, bodyboarders and lifeguards for whom we are eternally grateful and will truly never be enough.”
“He was then treated by a team of paramedics and flown by Westpac rescue helicopter to Brisbane for surgery and to begin what will be the greatest journey of our lives.”
Mrs Gordon revealed that although his operation went ‘very well’, he is ‘currently paralyzed from the waist down and has no feeling’.
“We remain extremely positive and will do everything we can,” she continued.
The young couple, who got engaged in January this year, would spend the past few days celebrating their upcoming wedding with family and friends across the ditch in New Zealand.
Johnny (pictured with fiancée Charlotte) is still paralyzed from the waist down at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Fighting back tears, Mr Koning described the injury as ‘his worst nightmare’.
“I’m extremely determined to get back on my feet,” he added.
The couple has documented the challenging recovery process on social media.
Mrs Gordon described Monday as their ‘hardest day yet’.
“There will be good days, and bad days, and we will continue to take it day by day,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Tomorrow is a new day that will bring new progress, new firsts and new challenges.
“We both go to sleep every night dreaming and visualizing ourselves walking along the beach together.”
The GoFundMe page has raised nearly $14,000 of its $100,000 goal.