LEAD STORY: Rider stands tall after fall

HINERANGI VAIMOSO
Narelle McCormack remembers April 13 better than most.
It was the day she and three others saddled up for a hunt on a farm in Ashley Clinton.
It was the day her 12-year-old son, Duncan, had been out on a hunt for the first time.
And it was the day she came frighteningly close to losing the use of her legs.
``I remember my horse going up to jump the fence and clipping the top wire,' she said.
``I remember my horse going forward and I rolled straight ahead, I hit the ground with force and that's when I heard my neck go and then my back go.'
The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was called out immedi ately and Narelle was flown out to Hawke's Bay Hospital.
When doctors saw the extent of her injuries, Narelle was referred to Burwood Hospital in Christchurch, which specialises in rehabilitation and elective orthopaedic surgery.
She had broken five vertebrae, two in her neck and three in her back.
One break was so serious it needed stabilisation, so Narelle underwent surgery - a bone graft was taken from her hip and inserted into her back.
Narelle had started the long road to recovery, although doctors still weren't sure it would lead to her walking again. She then contracted a blood clot.
``For the first three weeks, I was having an injection in my stomach every day and blood tests every day. Fun, eh?' she said in an unusually chirpy tone.
Narelle admitted it was never easy to talk about and she's had more than a few ``melting moments' along the way. But for the most part, she's been positive.
``I had to be.'
At one stage through her recovery process, Narelle was confined to bed for 15 days.
``That drove me crazy - and there had been talk of sending me to Hawke's Bay Hospital for six weeks,' she said.
``I would have been climbing the walls.'
Even though nurses made sure to turn her every three hours, hair loss at the back of the head is evident.
Having husband Tim alongside her every step of the way helped.
So, too, did the support of children Duncan and Hayley, friends who have become caregivers, other family members and the staff at Burwood.
``The staff were fantastic. I could not fault them at all to be honest. The staff at Burwood had told me out of all the cases they had seen come in, they knew I would be the one who was going to walk again.'
Now in a back brace and still on blood thinning medication as a result of the clot, even the most mundane things have become a tough task. Getting dressed, showering and even sitting in the passenger's seat of a car are tiring.
It's been a big change for the Hatouma family who have had to adjust the house to suit Narelle's needs.
``Yep, it is a big adjustment but nowhere near as big as it would have been had I been in a wheelchair,' she said.
It was her hunting stock worn around her neck that Narelle believes may have saved her spine that day.
``That and a couple of angels looking out for me,' she added.
It wasn't the first time Narelle has been injured but fear of falling off isn't going to stop her getting back on the horse again. She points out that a car accident doesn't stop you from driving.
It has made her re-evaluate her life, however. She now wants to get involved with the Catwalk Trust which supports the body of scientific opinion which says a cure for spinal cord injury will be found.
``It's a humbling experience,' Narelle said. ``We had prepared ourselves for the worst but have come out on top.'
Another woman out hunting on a farm in Ashley Clinton was flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital on Wednesday morning with neck and abdominal injuries.
She has since recovered well and returned home from Hawke's Bay Hospital yesterday.