- After watching a person in a wheelchair with a parachute glide through the air, Nikayla was inspired
- At nine months old, she was diagnosed with athetoid cerebral palsy, she uses a wheelchair and requires assistance 24/7
- Little by little, Nikayla started to add a lot of thrill into her life.
- Nikayla Wood, 27, shares her story below…
I looked at the telly mesmerised.
A person in a wheelchair was gliding through the air with a parachute. I was a bit of a thrill seeker myself, but I wasn’t sure if adventures were ever going to be possible for me.
“I would love to do this and more,” I said to my caregiver Deena.
Read more: Meet the wheelchair-bound cheerleader who refused to let her horrific accident stop her from chasing her dreams
At nine months old, I’d been diagnosed with athetoid cerebral palsy which affects all my fine motor skills, making movements jerky and hard to control.
I could say some words, but I couldn’t speak in clear sentences, eat by myself, or walk.
It meant that I relied on a wheelchair, as well as needing 24-hour assistance.
Since my muscles are constantly fighting each other, fatigue sets in early on. Even simply taking a bath is exhausting.
“Let’s find out,” Deena, 56, said matter-of-factly.
Ever since I had met her two years earlier, she had helped me learn to swim, made me confident enough to go riding on my recumbent bike, and even encouraged me to participate in sporting events
with other people with disablities.
So, I contacted a travel company who specialise in inclusive travel adventures.
After learning about the extent of my disability, they sent me a 10-day itinerary around the South Island, NZ, which included skiing, jet boating and even sky diving.
“No-one has done it yet with your level of disability,” the tour guide told me. “But it’s not impossible.”
“I want to give it a go,” I said, determind.
My mum, Kristina, and dad, Gary, sponsored Deena’s travel while I paid for my trip from my savings.
In August 2020, we landed in Christchurch, before driving to Queenstown. On the way, we stopped to do a zipline.
Deena lifted me up out of my wheelchair and two guys helped me into a harness. As butterflies knotted in my stomach, I heard Deena’s reassuring voice.
“You can’t fall out,” she said.
Then she was harnessed up beside me and we both tore through the sky.
I was so nervous that I laughed the entire way!
Next up, was a jet boat ride on the Shotover River, which travels at 90km/h through the canyon.
“Hold onto your seat, ladies,” the driver said.
Since I have no control over my upper body, I was scared I’d slide off when the boat turned, but Deena and another person sat on either side of me, keeping me firmly in place.
I felt like I was in a race car!
“This trip is everything I hoped it would be,” I said to Mum on the phone, even though I felt wiped out.
Next on our list was the go-kart luge. Settling onto Deena’s lap, we zipped our way down a 1,600-metre winding track.
“Faster, faster!” I cried, happily.
“You’re a bit of a speed demon,” Deena joked.
The next two days were spent skiing at the Cardrona Alpine Resort.
Join 66,000+ readers who love our true, real-life stories. From shocking true crime to the most heartwarming moments, sign up for Take 5’s free weekly newsletter and never miss a story!
There, I was strapped to a seated ski with an instructor standing behind me.
With the wind and snow hitting my face, it was exhilarating.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” I gushed to Deena afterwards.
Our last adventure on the checklist was a skydive at Franz Josef Glacier.
Just thinking about it, I felt sick and phoned Mum in a panic.
“I can’t do this,” I told her.
“You don’t want to come back and think, ‘you should have done it’,” Mum said.
She was right, so I reminded myself to not let fear hold me back.
Amazingly, a rainbow appeared just as my turn came.
Attached to my instructor, we began to fall and when I opened my eyes, I felt a sense of calm.
Looking down at the landscape – the rainbow, icy mountains, the sea and rivers – made me feel like I was staring at a painting.
This is so beautiful, I thought.
“How was it?” Deena asked after.
“It was magical. But I’m never doing it again!” I said, still shaking the nerves.
Reflecting, I could never have dreamed that a person like me who couldn’t even walk would be able to do all the adrenalin-pumping activities I had ticked off on the trip.
Back home, I shared my journey on Facebook.
I want to be a positive role model for other people with disabilities, I wrote. I want to show the world that if I can do it, then others could do it too.
Since coming back, I have gone on four-wheel drives, done a 3.3km downriver swim and completed the Ocean Swim Fiji Series – three 1km swims over five days.
These days, my mantra is feel the fear and do it anyway!
It has been a hard yakka, but I have inspired other people with disabilities, and that makes me feel very proud.
