A HORRIFIC motorbike accident has changed the course of one young man’s life forever, with the Limestone Coast community rallying behind one of its own.
Nathan Foote was riding through Canunda National Park with a group of friends on March 30 this year when tragedy struck.
Mr Foote misjudged a sand dune and subsequently sustained multiple injuries, including spinal damage, although the severity of his condition was not known at the time of the accident.
Around six hours after the crash, Mr Foote was placed into a coma by the SA Ambulance MedSTAR team and flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital via helicopter following a full rescue mission in the difficult terrain.
Mr Foote’s partner Shelly Manser was among the first people notified of the accident while around 20-weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Over the next few weeks, Mr Foote underwent multiple surgeries to repair the damage but was ultimately told he may never walk again.
This led to months of rehabilitation in Adelaide away from family and friends, including his pregnant partner.
It also brought his nine years of employment with Mount Plumbing Service to an abrupt end, however his years of service to the company did not go unnoticed with colleagues rallying behind the young couple in their time of need.
“It was so overwhelming to have everything happening all at once,” Ms Manser said.
“I was pregnant and I had to finish up work early to be in Adelaide with Nathan full-time, we needed to move out of our house in Mount Gambier and we did not know what was going to happen next.
“I came back to pack our things up to move out and all of the Mount Plumbing boys were there to do it for us and they stored everything at the shed until we would need it again.
“I was not expecting them to do all of that for us, they have been such a huge support and we could not thank them enough.”
While it has been a challenging period since the accident, Mr Foote said he had tried to adjust to his “new normal.”
“Things are definitely different now I am in the chair,” he said.
“It is little things like needing to be driven everywhere or getting something out of a high cupboard.
“I went to my pop’s farm and definitely got stuck a few times – the chair is not made to be out in the paddock.
“But you just have to keep going and adjusting.”
Mr Foote is currently undertaking his physiotherapy in Mount Gambier.
“I think it is a bit tougher doing it down here than up in Adelaide,” he said.
“When you are in rehab up there everyone’s in a chair – they all know what you are going through.
“But one of the toughest things has been not having anyone around that is in the same boat as you.
“We thought about staying in Adelaide for all the physio and everything, but we have so much support from friends and family down here we decided it would be better to come home.”
Shortly after his accident, Mr Foote’s sister, Jessie, started a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $20,000 for the couple with the current total a little over $11,000.
Together with the Mount Plumbing Service and Green Triangle Livestock and Real Estate, Ms Foote has organised a Sunday Sesh fundrasier.
The event, scheduled for November 3 at East Gambier Football Club, will feature live music, an auction and raffle.
Tickets are $20 with all funds donated to the young family.
Although an unexpected challenge, Ms Manser thanked the community for its support since the March incident.
“You would not get this kind of support living in the city,” she said.
“We do not know half the people supporting Nathan but everyone is giving whatever they can to help us which is so amazing.
“The money raised will eventually go towards our own home which will have to be purpose-built with Nathan in mind.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Mount Plumbing Service or Green Triangle Livestock and Real Estate.
Visit au.gofundme.com/f/nathan039s-spinal-injury to make a donation.
