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IT’S hard to believe that only a couple of months ago local teenager Curtis Landers was lying in a hospital bed with a severe neck injury unsure if he would ever walk again.
In only four months, the 15-year-old has miraculously recovered after suffering a serious neck injury from a routine tackle during a game of rugby league in Port Macquarie in May.
Doctors initially told Curtis that he would never walk again and would need to stay in hospital for at least 12 months. But despite the odds stacked up against him, the courageous teen’s unwavering persistence led him to be discharged from hospital and return home to Forster in August. He is now walking unassisted and back at school.
His amazing recovery has baffled doctors, his parents and people right across the country. But for Curtis, the will to keep going never stopped.
“It took me a while until I realised what had happened,” Curtis said of the aftermath of the accident.
“It was pretty hard but while I was in hospital I just wanted to get better, I wanted to progress, I was pretty determined.”
After returning to his school - Great Lakes College Forster campus - three days a week, Curtis says he feels like things are slowly getting back to normal.
“It’s good to be home and see my friends. Mucking around with my friends again has sort of made me forget about everything – the accident and that I have to wear a neck brace but sometimes in the back of my mind I’ll be thinking ‘I should be careful,’ when I move a certain way,” he said.
“I’m still a little bit restricted with some things but other than that I’m feeling good. I feel normal.”
Curtis has physiotherapy sessions four to five days a week in Forster focusing on his balance and strength with a special focus on his hands. He also sees an occupational therapist weekly who helps him with day-to-day necessities such as writing.
“I still get a really numb feeling in my hands so I’ve been using play-doh type stuff to help build up strength in my hands.
“I also have a program that I do at home. I saw the rehab team in Sydney recently and they are really happy with where I’m at.
“I still get fatigued quite a lot especially when I’m writing so at the moment I’m only at school a few days a week. I use a wheelchair at school mainly for safety reasons but everywhere else I’m walking.”
Throughout his journey there have been many events held to raise money for the Curtis Landers Appeal with local businesses and groups, the NRL and the Footy Show becoming involved. Curtis has also been treated to a couple of NRL games of his favourite team - the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Curtis said the support he has received has been overwhelming but at the same time, comforting.
“I watched the Footy Show when they aired the fundraiser - that was really amazing,” he said.
“I want to thank everyone – the Forster community have helped a lot so has Gloucester and Port Macquarie and they’re all only small communities. I want to thank Christina (Whitbread), the physios, all the rehab team in Sydney and of course my family – they’ve done a lot; they’ve been really supportive through it all.”
While Curtis is unsure if he will ever play football again, he hopes to become involved in local rugby league in the near future whether it be refereeing or coaching. Either way, the future for Curtis is looking very bright.