Father and son help each other heal

CHRIS SKELTON/Fairfax NZ

TOUGH TIME: Erik Smeele now takes inspiration from the way his son is coping with his reduced functions.

TRUE CHAMP: Brad Smeele in full flight.

FATHER AND SON: Where Erik inspired a young Brad, he now draws inspiration from his successful son.

As champion wakeboarder Brad Smeele recovers in a US hospital from a devastating spinal injury, his father draws inspiration from him to fight his own medical challenges. Ashten Macdonald reports.

Before every competition, champion wakeboarder Brad Smeele would stand alone, eyes closed, visualising his run, spinning and dipping in his head, mentally mapping out his routine.

But since an accident in July that left Brad a quadriplegic, his father, Erik Smeele, has hoped that his son will use the same visualisation techniques to overcome the odds and walk again.

As 27-year-old Brad lies paralysed in Atlanta, Georgia, back home in Mt Wellington, Erik is holding on to happy memories of Brad. They help him cope with his son's very public struggle.

Sitting silently, caressing his reading glasses, Erik ponders.

Then his leg begins to rock. He smiles. Then he begins to speak.

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Father and son help each other heal