How are you?

Ian | Akaroa

Two years ago, Ian (Telf) had a fall that broke ten ribs. His return to strength has been a long but successful journey. 

“They said ‘you’ve broken ten ribs, all on the same side.’

I’m pretty good. I’ve had a bit of a problem with balance. In 2022, I had a very bad fall at my home and fell backwards down five of my steps, finishing up on the concrete driveway at about 10:30pm on a rainy night. Nobody would hear me yelling and screaming, and after about five minutes of struggling, I thought, “Well, if I don’t get myself up, I’m going to die here.”

I managed to get myself up, picked up my fallen groceries, went inside, and rang 111. I ended up in the hospital over in Christchurch. It has taken me quite a while to get back to the fitness I had at that point, but I’m slowly getting there. I spend winter up in Rotorua with my daughter, who is a scientist there, and I was able to attend a balance class in Rotorua, which was excellent. It got me going again, helped me walk properly, and so on.

To my surprise, they’ve started the same course down here now, so I’ve joined up with that and am looking forward to my second class with them in about half an hour or so. So, how am I doing? I’m doing well. I’m improving my ability and my mobility all the time, and I’m walking further and further each day.”