Susan Evans - Para Athlete

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Susan Evans walking to the garage

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge setting

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Susan Evans – “In July 2015, the girls and I were towing
the horse float to a pony club event,”

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Image of a damaged and burnt vehicle

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Susan Evans – “when a speeding reckless driver hit us
head on.”

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Susan Evans with Gareth Evans walking down a track with their cycles

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Susan Evans – “My injuries were literally from top to toe.”

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Susan Evans unconscious on a patient’s bed with a man comforting her

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Susan Evans – “My face was de-gloved, my diaphragm was torn open,”

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans – “I had a compression fracture to my L5 vertebrae”

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Image of Susan Evans foot in a cast supported by stabilizers

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Susan Evans – “and my ankle was badly damaged. Both dislocated and crushed.” 

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Susan Evans sitting on top of a horse

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Susan Evans – “I'm Susan Evans, I live in rural Manawatu with my husband and three teenage girls.”

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Gareth Evans sitting in the lounge

Text appears: “Gareth Evans” – “Susan’s husband”

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Gareth Evans – “I remember bringing the children home in the car with me and explaining to them then”

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Gareth Evans and Susan Evans conversing in the garden with their around

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Susan Evans – “that things were going to be very different for our family from here on in.”

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans – “After the accident I spent several months in hospital.”

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Susan Evans and Gareth Evans walking and then sitting in the garden

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Susan Evans – “And then at home with the hospital bed and a wheelchair before I began to walk again. My ankle was salvaged as best it could be at the time.”

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Susan Evans putting her shoes outside the house

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Susan Evans – “But it ended up going backwards so the decision to amputate was made just over a year ago.” 

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans - “Since then my rehab has re-begun.”

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Susan Evans cleaning the horse

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Susan Evans – “I got involved in Para sport after going to the ACC Para sport open day soon after my amputation. It was a great opportunity to see what was available and what the possibilities were.”

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans – “It's a really positive and encouraging environment.”

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Clips of Susan Evans wearing her cycling gear and getting ready to cycle

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Susan Evans – “From there I got sent an email about a
Para cycling open camp.”

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Susan Evans meets with Gareth Evans cyclist and they cycle on the road

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Susan Evans – “I signed up for it before I even knew whether I could ride a bike again.”

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans – “And started from there. I loved it.”

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Susan Evans putting on her helmet and then riding the horse 

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Susan Evans – “Getting back into sport has helped my rehab by giving me a strong focus and a reason to get as fit and active as I can. It's beneficial for my health and well-being and just being able to push myself as much as I can is great.”

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Susan Evans sitting in the lounge

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Susan Evans – “If I was to give advice to someone who was thinking of getting into Para sport,”

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Susan Evans and Gareth Evans taking their cycles back to the house

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Susan Evans – “I would definitely say give it a go because you don't know what you can do until you've tried it.”

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Susan Evans playing with her dog

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Susan Evans – “Everyone in the Para sport community seems so positive and encouraging.”

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Susan Evans standing next to her horse

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Susan Evans – “It's a great environment to be a part of and the opportunities are huge.”

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Text appears: “Get started in Para sport – at any level” – “paralympics.org.nz”

Website address under the text:

paralympics.org.nz

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Paralympics New Zealand and ACC logo appears side-to-side

Text appears under both the logos: “Proudly supporting Paralympics New Zealand”