The message he talks about today has a specific audience he wants to hear it — Maori youth.
“Stay in school, don’t drink and don’t do drugs.
“Don’t follow the gang life — it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
The 26-year-old Tolaga Bay man is a walking, and very outspoken, example of how one moment in time can upend your life.
But also how a positive mindset and humour can get you through the lows and the achievements.
“A big low for me when I first had my accident was I couldn’t stand up and urinate. A simple thing.
“And the main thing I like doing now is sharing my story.
“I like helping people. I don’t want anyone to walk the path I have.
“Education is number one.”
Nine years ago Hyrum was on the back of a friend’s ute. It was the week before he turned 16, he had just finished his first week of paid work in the forestry industry and had celebrated with some drinks.
While the ute was being driven, Hyrum fell off the back, hit his head and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The one moment he cannot change, he cannot remember.
The details of what happened next have been filled in by others. He was helicoptered to Waikato Hospital and didn’t leave for a year. He had to learn to walk, talk and eat again.
It has been baby steps for nine years as he went from being spooned pureed food to enjoying a big bowl of pasta and mince like he does now.
One goal is to walk Titirangi — his maunga in Tolaga Bay. And he has partially achieved that already.
He is very thankful for the whanau and friends who have helped him along the way.
Hyrum was chosen to front the GDC road safety campaign after he penned a poem about his journey called One Moment I Cannot Change.
From there his face appeared on billboards around town and up the Coast. People stop him at Pak’nSave and ask to have their photo taken with him.
He will appear on an Attitude TV episode next year.
Hyrum couldn’t be happier — he loves to help people, share his story far and wide, and he knows he still has a long way to go.
His speech therapist at Strive Rehabilitation Marcel Grobler says she has never heard Hyrum utter a negative word or thought.
He constantly jokes and pretends to get their names wrong to prank them — because it is something he does still struggle with, remembering people’s names.
But the team at Strive Rehab know him well and vice versa.
“He’s cheeky,” says Marcel.
“But the biggest thing that stands out is that he is so motivated.
“It helps his progress in therapy — he always comes in with a positive attitude and we celebrate with him to speak and get his message across.”
He exercises every day — mostly on his trike that he rides around Tolaga Bay — and three times a week he catches a bus to Gisborne so he can attend his therapy session at Strive Rehabilitation.
Hyrum remembers being frustrated that people could not understand him.
He would resort to a thumbs up or a thumbs down to communicate.
Now he is learning te reo.
Karin Johanson heads the team of health professionals at Strive Rehabilitation (formerly the Stewart Centre) on the corner of Roebuck Road and Palmerston Road.
The team offer a complete wrap-around service for people who have been discharged from hospital or ABI (Aquired Brain Injury) Rehabilitation. Staff have tertiary qualifications in recreational therapies, mental health, education and design.
They are helping people to regain their speech, movement and cognitive ability.
Karin says it is a very rewarding job.
“I think we’re lucky. It’s like whanau here with the clients. We work together — it’s a fun day.
“There are definitely ups and downs but on a daily basis we help each other by problem-solving in areas that we would have trouble with on our own.”
Being able to have 10 different people from a variety of backgrounds means they can discuss cases and figure out solutions because “10 heads are better than one”.
Karin says they can help with a broad spectrum of issues — helping clients with legal issues, housing, and finding people to look after children if it is a young parent they are helping.
Occupational therapist Gillian Gunn describes Strive Rehab as the community hub of their client’s everyday life. Part of her work means she can help people flow into voluntary or part-time jobs by connecting them with the right employers.
Having everyone at the same place also offers consistency, says Gillian.
When you are learning everything again that really helps, rather than having to go to five different places for appointments, she says.
A high percentage of their clients are young Maori men.
Strive Rehab’s second in charge Tina Rangihuna says she feels this is because they are a demographic that takes risks.
At Strive Rehab they make sure they take the time to get to know their clients, she says.
“We like to know what is going on in their lives, to better understand how to help.”
Strive Rehab is a discreet service to rehabilitate clients back to life being as normal as possible.
Having a safe place to do that is key.
It comes with its challenges, says recreational therapist Amy Graham.
“Each person comes for a different reason. This is their trusted safe place.”
A traumatic brain injury can happen to anyone at any age. Clients at Strive Rehabilitation range from 18 to over 70 years old, come from all walks of life, and have had brain injuries through accidents, strokes or injury. It can be emotionally difficult at any age to find yourself dependent on other people, says Gillian.
Speech language therapist Marcel Grobler says it is really valuable to get to know the guys, and for them to get to know each other as well.
“The social interaction is really important.”
Part of Marcel’s work includes conversation workshops.
There are furniture workshops, fishing groups, and a sewing group is about to start.
Karin says they are forward-thinking with future plans for the corner of Roebuck Road and Leith Street (a few houses down from where they are now). It will be a purpose-built facility to better cater to all their clients’ needs, she says.
Their clients come to them as referrals from ACC and the Ministry of Health.
Karin says working in their area in Gisborne is great because everyone knows everybody, communication is straightforward and people are names not numbers.
