Motocross teen unlikely to walk again

A Western Bay teenager has been told it's unlikely he'll ever walk again after seriously injuring himself in a motorbike accident on a farm.
Scott MacDonald, 14 of Te Puke, is today lying in an Auckland hospital bed facing up to the prospect of permanently losing the use of his legs.
The Te Puke High School student crashed heavily while jumping his motorcycle on a neighbour's No 2 Road farm track on February 1.
Scott is an experienced motocross rider with "an absolute passion" for the sport.
He was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital with a serious spinal injury and transferred to Middlemore Hospital's Intensive Care Unit two days later.
Scott underwent surgery last Thursday to fuse his damaged L7 and L8 vertebrae together, enabling him to sit upright.
He's come through the operation well and is in high spirits at this point _ but it's unlikely he will walk again.
His mother Bev Carnie, a dementia nurse at Carter House Rest Home, has been at his bedside since the accident.
His father Shane, who works at Affco Rangiuru, has been continually travelling back and forwards from Te Puke to enable him to care for their two daughters, Leigh and Luane.
A community fund has been started to support Scott's family.
Two local men are leading a fundraising effort to contribute to the expenses the family will face over the coming months.
Family friends Max McMeeking and Wes Archer have opened the Scott MacDonald donation account with the Te Puke National Bank.
"Scott will be in Middlemore for at least three months, then he'll be back home and needing care, and while ACC cover the costs of travel and some expenses, there's all the incidentals to pay for plus all the time off work his parents will need _ it will be huge," says Mr Archer.
"Max took the hat around at Affco, and other people have wanted to contribute so we decided to set up the account."
Mr Archer said Scott had been sitting up in bed, texting all his friends and joking about not having to mow lawns, do the dishes or feed the dogs.
Former motocross champion Niki Urwin, today said he would be happy to meet with Scott once he arrived home from hospital.
Mr Urwin himself was paralysed after crashing during a competition in Melbourne four years ago.
"For sure, when he gets back down this way, it would be good to meet him."
Mr Urwin said certain tragedies didn't mean life itself was over _ or the person involved had changed.
"He's still him, he'll still be the same kid and he won't change. When his friends and family see him for the first time he'll be in bed, or be in a wheelchair, and that will be quite different for all of them _ but they'll soon see him as him, and they won't see the wheelchair anymore," he said.
Mr Urwin said "the not walking" was the easiest part of being a parapalegic to adapt to. "It's all the other stuff that he'll go through with his disability," he said.
Alan Liddle, Te Puke High School principal, said staff and students were saddened by the news of Scott's accident.
"Our thoughts are with Scott and his family, and we would like to offer our support during these difficult times," he said.
Donations can be made at National Bank branches in Te Puke, Tauranga and Whakatane, to Acc # 06 0453 0151485 00.