She was in hospital in Vancouver for six weeks before being flown back to New Zealand where she spent four months in the spinal unit in Christchurch.
"It was life-changing. I had to find the strength to cope. Life throws you a curve ball and you have to deal with it. They didn't expect me to live. I guess because of my age - I was 22 - you have more resilience physically and being young and fit and being able to sustain that. And then you get the aftermath in adjusting to life in a wheelchair."
But Suzanne is not one to dwell on matters. "Strangely, acquiring a disability opened different doors, ones I wouldn't necessarily have chosen to walk through. It's not easy but often the real gold is where the grit is."
Having worked as a journalist when she left school, Suzanne finished a BA in history and a diploma in film and TV before working as a director/reporter on Attitude TV which features people with disabilities.
In 1998, she went to see a Touch Compass Dance show featuring dancers with and without disability. Suzanne enrolled in a workshop and joined the company as a professional dancer for a season. That led to being a dancer and assistant teacher with the London-based CandoCo Dance Company, performing in 24 countries over three and half years.
On her return to New Zealand, Suzanne completed a masters degree in dance studies at the University of Auckland. She has now started her PhD, received three scholarships, presented a new piece, Pharmakos, in Wellington, and in July will head to Europe to present a research paper in England and take part in a summer dance project in Sweden.
Suzanne says moving forward in life with a disability comes down to how you value yourself.
"The challenge is finding a way to value that disability, that point of difference. I can guarantee I wouldn't have become a contemporary dancer, performing all over the world. It wouldn't have happened if I had not had the accident. I wasn't heading in that direction"
John Mead: Vet to student
John Mead is a familiar face to many Herne Bay residents, having been a vet in the suburb for 25 years. But all that time at the clinic another ambition had been "bubbling away".
A couple of years ago John decided to enrol as a fine arts student at Unitec.
"I had a darkroom at home and I really wanted at some stage to give photography a nudge and see if I was any good."
He continued working full time as he started his visual design degree in photography.
"I have been in the lucky position that I am self-employed so I could do the study thing as well. The other huge thing was getting the family used to the idea that I wasn't going to be a vet forever.
"Now that I am a post grad at Elam I have thrown in the vet work. It was fantastic job, I was in a brilliant area. But I just felt I had peaked as a vet, professionally and emotionally. I wanted to finish on a high rather than wait til I was a grumpy old bugger at 65.
"The main thing with post grad at Elam is they tend to encourage people who have a bit of life experience and have come back to do some arts.
I have never found age to be an issue in any way.
"And going back to university these days is a user-friendly experience."
He says he has the type of personality where he always wants to the best he can. "That is not a new thing but I have pointed it towards photography.
"Doing a masters at Elam was another level in another way, there was a lot of philosophy and sociology, a bit more rounded."
John uses a 4 x 5 camera, and prefers film to digital. "There is still something about film. It's crafty, it's hands on, you can do one-offs. Most of mine are one-of-three series and I even post the negative on the back of the photo.
"I specialise more in landscape but it is starting to tie in other human societal elements. The landscape is becoming more of an adjunct to other context."
There have definitely been byproducts to his diversification. "I have made a lot of contacts via Unitec and Elam doing art photography. I have been able to cross into commercial options.
"I have two big agendas once I finish studies, one is that I want to carry on with my sports photography which is sort of the antitheses of my art work. Sports photography is very impulsive, capturing a moment, whereas art photography you think about it and then try to articulate an idea or a concept.
"I don't want to take income from other photographers who are half my age and trying to make a living but, saying that, there are a few commercial photography opportunities I have seen. It will be another scenario."
He says it's not everyone's cup of tea to study later in life. "You do forgo a lot of definite structure in your day unless you can build that structure in yourself. I don't think this can be a rash decision. You need your family on your side as well; it is a lifestyle change not a job change."
Sheena Martin: Shaping a new lifestyle
Sheena Jayne Martin has a vitality most of us can only dream of.
By day, 25-year-old Sheena is a lawyer but last July she set herself a challenge of changing her body into the sculpted muscle mass required for competitive bodybuilding.
"I have always been in okay shape and relatively fit. And I have always admired bikini competitors but was never sure if I had the discipline and the body to get there. My partner, Andy, wanted to compete in his first competition and talked me into joining him."
She finds time to train as well as working at a boutique law firm and teaching group fitness at Les Mills and Configure gyms before and after work.
"It's 5.30am alarms each day so I can be at the gym at 6am for training or teaching.
"I wanted a challenge, something I wasn't sure if I could actually achieve. Strength training teaches not only physical strength but mental and psychological strength."
Eight weeks after starting training, she competed in the NZ International Federation of Body Building Waikato Regional Championships and came fourth in her category. She went on to win at the national championships.
That led to an invitation to travel to the United States in February to compete in the Arnold Classic, "the most prestigious amateur bodybuilding competition there is", where she achieved a runner-up division placing. At this year's federation Pro Qualifier Championship in Auckland she won the Overall Bikini title, qualifying for her pro card allowing her to compete overseas in Bikini Pro League shows.
"I keep my feet on the ground in New Zealand throughout my off-season. I am also launching my online personal training and nutrition business."
She says it is important to have a good knowledge of training to add muscle mass, guidance from knowledgeable people and to get nutritional advice for the carbo-loaded meals body builders follow to maintain low body fat and help build lean muscles.
"Everything I've eaten - apart from a once-per-week cheat meal - has been measured to the gram since last July."
It also meant she was a very lean bride in February when she married Andy before heading to the American classic.
Describing herself as a pocket rocket and an over-achiever, she says these traits help her reach her goals.
"I am naturally stubborn so when I want something, I will work tirelessly until I have conquered it. I believe in consistent growth and I am always striving to be a better person than I was yesterday.
"It just goes to show what you can achieve if you are passionate and determined. This has literally changed my life."
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