Alex Partington's fight after being left paralysed from bike accident

His Christmas was spent in a hospital bed at Westmead Childrens, as he battled a collapsed lung, a bout of pneumonia and breathing complications as he fought for his own life.

At just 15 years of age, Alex's life was just beginning, and in a split second it all changed forever.

What has transpired since Alex’s accident in November last year has not only been a story of inspiration, but one of love and unity.

The affect that this young bloke’s journey has had on the people around him, even those he’s never met (me included), is incredible.

As his parents Julia and Dave, brother Finley and local basketball club the Hawkesbury Jets rally around him to support Alex on his rehabilitation journey, so has NBL club, the Sydney Kings.

Of course though, support means nothing if there’s no fight in the fighter. And day by day Alex is proving the fight inside him is greater than most of us could ever imagine.

Follow his journey on Facebook at: Day by Day #AP35

Alex Partington woke up on Monday morning, November 28 2016 like it was just another day.

He was riding his BMX bike with a mate through some bush land near home at Springwood when he fell and landed badly.

Alex suffered a devastating spinal injury as a result of the accident. When Alex fell he broke his C3 and C4 at the base of his neck. The injury to his nerves and tissue are the most severe of all spinal injuries.

As a result of these injuries, Alex had lost function of his diaphragm which meant he could no longer breathe on his own.

Alex had to undergo a tracheotomy. This involved making an incision in his neck below the vocal cords and having a tube inserted into his windpipe.

The reason for this operation is because Alex required a ventilator to do the breathing for him. He was also placed in an induced coma to allow his body to rest.

He had surgery where he had bone taken from his hip and fused into his neck. Soon after the surgery one of Alex’s lungs collapsed and he contracted pneumonia.

Alex could not use his voice, so communication was done by lip reading and holding up an alphabet card so Alex could move his eyes towards the letter of the word he wanted to spell out.

Alex has shown great strength in overcoming many hurdles. He has made some slight movements in recent days and he can now talk and breath on his own. It is still a long road ahead and the reality is heartbreaking.

Alex is paralysed from the neck down, therefore he has no use of his legs, arms and torso and requires 24-hour care.  

Alex loves his basketball. There’s no doubt about that.

Upon hearing of Alex’s accident and his rehabilitation, The Kings jumped straight in to show their support.

Alex, a Kings fan, found himself becoming friends with his own sporting idols. Some might even say brothers.

Players Kevin Lisch and Josh Powell have been to visit Alex in hospital many times, to encourage him through his rehabilitation journey.

Powell, a US import, even made a trip out to the Hawkesbury to support Alex’s mum Julie as she took the court for her first social game of basketball.

At the Kings final game of the season earlier this month, the club invited Alex and his family to sit court side.

“The Sydney Kings were so thrilled to welcome Alex at our final home game of the season, hosting his entire family court side and welcoming them into the locker room post-game,” a spokesperson for the club said.

The trip was the first major outing from hospital for Alex since his accident, and by no means was is an easy feat.

But the smile on his face as he watched the game from the sideline made it all worth it for his family and his club mates who were all there to share in the experience.

Alex’s best friend Cameron Simmons has been by his side since he first heard of the accident.

He is there for his rehab, for a chat, and sat proudly beside him at the Kings game.

Cameron’s Mum Traci Sullivan penned a touching letter after the night out at the Kings game, totally floored by the unconditional love she witnessed on the night.

Warning – get the tissues ready.

Julia has posted about Alex's amazing night at the Sydney Kings game - but I wanted to tell you all about what it looked like from arms length, I wanted to tell you about how AMAZING Julia and Dave are.

Teamwork. It's the most important part of basketball, and it's the most important part of being a family. Last night the Partingtons were playing like a championship winning team. It literally took hours to prepare Alex for his first outing in 10 weeks, and once we were out of those hospital doors, the hard work continued.

The truth is that a pair of eyes had to be watching Alex for every second of last night. At this point in time his body is like a dead weight, when his body slides down the chair, he can't adjust and sit himself back up, when his arm slips off the armrest or his feet slip off the footrest he can't move them back himself.

It takes two people to lift Alex and adjust him in his seat. Although Alex doesn't have the movement, he has sensation, so he feels all the aches and discomfort.

There is also an insane amount of secretions, so without the suction machine he has at hospital, one person needs to be constantly removing them from his mouth, which was a mammoth task last night. His temperature and breathing also has to be closely monitored at all times.

I see them do it at the hospital, and last night they were like a well oiled machine, when one looked tired, the other one took over.

We had moments last night that very few people get to experience - VIP treatment, court side seats, interaction from the players and coach, going to the locker room after the game.

While normally I would be a little star struck being around the likes of Gaze, Powell, Lisch, Whittington, Newley and Garlepp - last night they were all just people in the room.

The stars last night were Alex, Julia and Dave. You did it guys, a slam dunk – Traci

If Alex’s situation isn’t bad enough, funding his rehabilitation and aftercare is also going to be a problem.

Alex’s parents Julia and Dave aren’t Australian citizens and therefore don’t qualify for government funding.

Julia has been a youth welfare worker in the Hawkesbury for many years, and in recent years has made a lot of in-roads in improving the issue of youth homelessness in the region.

Despite the fact that she and her husband have been living and working in Australia for nearly a decade, it won’t help them gain disability assistance. 

“As a family we have been in Australia for nine years and have worked hard to become residents,” Julia said. 

“My previous employers couldn't continue with our residency and I have had to start new employment with an amazing organisation which are supporting us as a family.

“However at the moment Alex's injuries are impacting on all aspects of our lives. We are working out visas and employment, liaising closely with key people.

“Having said all that Alex is working really hard to change the circumstances and is in grueling rehab sessions daily doing between 4-5 sessions.”

A Go Fund me page was established to take donations to the Partington family to help with the ongoing costs associated with Alex’s rehabilitation, not to mention the drastic modifications that will need to be made to their home.

”After a home inspection Alex is unable to get into the kitchen with his chair, we are therefore changing doors and widening areas to allow for his movement.

“Our drive due to it being gravel is unstable for his chair and walking (if we get to that point) so we are looking at ways to create a smooth safe surface and we are in discussions with air conditioning people to look at options of installing air con to ensure Alex's temperature can be managed.”

Julia said the support her family has already received through the page was overwhelming.

“We would really like to thank all the people who have helped us by donating money to the Go Fund and the bank account.

“We couldn't do it without your help.

“The Hawkesbury community has been unreal, the support we have received is nothing short of amazing.”

If you would like to make a donation to help support Alex and his family make a deposit to: