Rotorua pastor left with tetraplegia after accident now helping others with disabilities

Rotorua pastor Timothy Lee was left with tetraplegia after a mountain biking accident in the Redwood Forest almost 10 years ago. Life is not easy, he says, but there are still “plenty of reasons to get up in the morning”. This includes helping people who live with disabilities, which he considers “a real privilege”. Megan Wilson reports.

Spending time in the Redwood Forest is still a “regular thing” for Timothy Lee.

Despite it being the scene of his life-changing accident, the 57-year-old says getting out on the trails in his wheelchair still puts a smile on his face.

Lee told the Rotorua Daily Post he was left with tetraplegia after a mountain biking accident in 2010, aged 44.

After going over a jump on his bike, “I hit my head open on a tree” and was “knocked out”.

“I had smashed my helmet, split it right in two, did a real mess to my skull and obviously damaged my spinal cord between C4 and C5 vertebrae.

“The news to my family was if Tim does survive, he could be on a ventilator for the rest of his life.”

Timothy Lee had a mountain biking accident in 2010 which has left him with tetraplegia after he damaged his spinal cord. Photo / Andrew Warner

Lee said he spent six months in Auckland in hospital, including 40 days in intensive care. He also underwent rehabilitation in the spinal unit.

“It’s been a huge shock to life.”

Fourteen years later, Lee says there is still “ongoing frustration” and “grief”.

“I’m a morning person and so one of the tough things is that I can’t just wake up ... and go do what I want to do.”

Lee, who lives with his wife, Jenny, and his adult son, says “life is not easy” as he relies on people driving him and daily help from support workers at home.

“The mechanics of doing life is still a challenge.”

However, “there’s still plenty of reasons to get up in the morning and get going”.

‘A real privilege’ to help others with disabilities

Lee said his accident led to “all kinds of interesting doors” opening.

He had been working with the Rotorua Trails Trust to form a “national standard” for people who used adaptive mountain bikes or outdoor wheelchairs so they could find out which tracks they could use throughout New Zealand.

“I love getting [out] in the forest - it’s still a regular thing for me,” Lee said, who used grade two tracks in his wheelchair.

Timothy Lee says it is a privilege to help others who live with disabilities. Photo / Andrew Warner

Lee said he contracted for a mentoring programme that helped people who were new to using a wheelchair, such as stroke victims or people with spinal injuries.

He was also part of a national spinal support group and helped facilitate gatherings when they took place in Rotorua.

Lee said it was a “real privilege” to help others with disabilities.

Sailing ‘puts a smile on your face’

About 12 years ago, Lee became involved in Sailability Rotorua, a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organisation that offers sailing opportunities to anyone with a disability.

“I’ve always been an outdoors person. It’s a well-being thing for me just to be able to be out on the water ... away from traffic and the phone.”

The co-leader and chairman of the group said he enjoyed it because of the camaraderie with others.

“Just like getting in the Redwoods, it puts a smile on your face.”

Lee said a three-day regatta was taking place from February 23 to 25 at Okawa Bay in Rotorua, with several teams from out of town attending.

Sailability Rotorua founding member Allan Dick said the regatta incorporated the Kiwi Cup - the cup competed for by sailors with disabilities - and the Hansa 303 national championships.

“Sailing is the only sport I can think of that enables people with disabilities to compete on an equal footing with other people.

“If you have use of your hands for example, you can sit in the boat and control the sails and the steering and so on in exactly the same way as an able-bodied person would.”

Dick said he expected between 15 and 25 boats to compete.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.