At the age of 15 keen mountain biker Jayden Glentworth’s life came crashing down when a jump went wrong in Palmerston North – hit with the reality he had suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury.
It's a diagnosis many teenagers will never have to face but it’s one he’s not letting slow him down.
“People always say to me ‘you're inspiring’ and you're this and you're that but I’m really just trying to be the best I can be,” said Glentworth, who for most days can be find on the slopes of Cardrona tearing it up in his sit-ski.
“Everyone loves going fast, doing jumps ripping slashes - I just love it!”
Even though it was chasing an adrenaline kick that left him crashing off his mountain bike in Palmerston North four years ago.
“I was on a grade 5 trail called ripper and a big jump went wrong.
"I came over nose heavy.
"I landed about, I think it was 8 metres below the jump. My mind was racing 100 miles an hour, you know I can't feel my legs, it was pretty bit of a bummer.”
A helicopter flew Jayden and his father mark to Christchurch Hospital. Emergency surgery followed.
“His spinal cord was almost severed," said Jayden’s dad Mark Glentworth.
"It caused a T12 burst fracture that has caused him to lose feeling from the waist down, all of a sudden, things just changed.”
Jayden spent three months recovering in Christchurch’s Burwood Spinal Unit, before returning home in a wheelchair. But here is the thing about the 19-year-old - he never wanted his story to be a teen hard done by, instead one of big dreams and hope.
Two years after the accident he signed up to his school's Crest to Crest race, a tradition for students to kayak, cycle and run 400 kilometres from Mt Ruapehu to Palmerston North.
“I thought how he is ever going to do it," said Jayden’s mum Kathy Glentworth.
"How is it going to be possible?”
But Jayden made it possible – pushing past his paralysis he made it to the finish.
“I mean I don't say it lightly - he's my hero," said Mark.
Not just a hero to his family but everyone around him. Jayden is now chasing a Winter Paralympic dream. This year he has joined Snow Sport New Zealand’s development programme.
“He has progressed really fast he pushes himself really hard," said his coach Sam Lynch.
"He's quite tough on himself, it means he's always fighting to be the best.”
ACC have funded Jayden’s modified vehicle and sit-ski. Five days a week you will find him on the slopes training.
“If you take opportunities and you make the most of what you can it will all be right. It's hard! But you can make the best of it," he said.
Because even Jayden knows things in life will try and knock you down but the best you can do, is get back up.
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