Less than a year ago, a South Australian man tragically fell off a roof and broke his back, resulting in him becoming paraplegic. Despite this tragic event, Shannon Ashwood is now preparing to travel to Hawaii on Saturday May 11 to participate in the Adaptive Surfing Championships. To help him get there, his family and friends have set up a GoFundMe, and are seeking much needed donations from the community.
“When it first happened, one of the things we said to him was you’ll end up winning gold doing something athletic for paraplegic… he’s just so naturally athletic,” A good family friend of Shannon’s Rebecca Tanton says.
“It didn’t surprise us because he’s always loved the water, he’s always loved the ocean, he’s always been athletic.”
On Mother’s Day of 2023, Shannon fell off a roof and sustained serious injuries including a broken back with fractures to his T8, T9, and T10 vertebrae, as well as six broken ribs and a diffuse axonal brain injury.
After spending four days in a coma and two weeks at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, he was transferred to the Repatriation Hospital where he spent seven months doing rehabilitation, adapting to his new life in a wheelchair.
Determined not to let his injuries define him, Shannon took a big step towards independence earlier this year by moving into his own apartment. He then started doing activities he loved again, like rock climbing, playing basketball and even decided to get back into surfing.
After a failed first attempt on his surfboard, he was determined not to give up, and reached out to Jocelyn Neumeuller, an Adelaide girl, who is the World Adaptive Surfing Champion.
Jocelyn and her team started coaching Shannon, and despite his injuries, he quickly grasped the techniques, showing his natural athletic ability and surfing potential. The team invited him to compete in the 2024 Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships starting this weekend.
“We are incredibly proud, we’re just so happy for him. We knew he would do something amazing, but we couldn’t believe it’s happened so fast… it hasn’t even been a year yet,” Rebecca Tanton says.
Shannon, a former tradie, was unable to work following his accident, leaving him struggling to support himself and his daughter financially. After spending most of the past year doing rehab and adapting to life in a wheelchair, Shannon’s family and friends have started a GoFundMe page to help him on his journey to win surfing gold.
While his travel and accommodation expenses are covered, Shannon still requires financial assistance for daily living expenses and necessities. The GoFundMe initiative aims to help Shannon support himself while overseas, offering him a chance to participate in Adaptive Surfing Championships despite everything he has been through.
If you would like to donate and help Shannon, click here for the GoFundMe page.
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