By Aisling McCarthy

Before his accident, Lombard had dreams of finishing matric and travelling the world, but this all changed on the afternoon of 13 May 2008. Lombard describes it as an episode of Seconds from Disaster, as it was a culmination of small things going wrong that led to the accident.

“I didn’t feel like doing homework, I was fighting with my girlfriend at the time so I didn’t want to talk to her, my mom couldn't come and pick me up [from school], the buses weren’t working … so I decided, you know what, let me go and practice with the team I played for the year before.”

During the very last play of the match, disaster struck.

“I must have got my neck stuck between [the scrumhalf’s] body and the ground.” Lombard explains. “The forwards [from my team] rushed ahead from behind and caused my body to go over my neck – which [led to] the break … and yeah, I was instantaneously paralysed.”

His life changed drastically, as he went from a matric on top of the world to a young man having lost both his privacy and independence, being classified as a C5 quadriplegic.
“It’s a big culture shock - you go from being a strapping 100kg young man to basically someone who can’t do anything for himself.”

Following the accident, he decided to study psychology at the University of Pretoria and after finishing his degree, took a year off. After that, he received his honours in journalism and is currently doing his masters in communication management, whilst working as the assistant editor of Game On Magazine.

It’s a big culture shock - you go from being a strapping 100kg young man to basically someone who can’t do anything for himself.
In between all this, in June 2012, Lombard started his blog, RugbyFromAWheelchair, an opinionated view on rugby, quadriplegia and everything in between. Although, Lombard insists, it is fact-based opinion. He started his blog in the parking lot of the Muelmed Mediclinic where he was doing his rehabilitation, and within two years, his blog had around 120 000 page views in total.

“I don’t think I ever would have become a journalist if I hadn’t broken my neck,” Lombard insists, “I never realised this was something I wanted to do until I started my blog.”

He goes on to say that aspiring journalists and bloggers need to understand that when you start -you are a nobody, and that passion is an imperative part of the job.

“News never sleeps. If a story breaks at 2’o’clock in the morning – get your ass out of bed and you cover that story because that is the life you chose. If you don’t want that then don’t be a journalist, because you need to have a love for news.”

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, he no longer posts on RugbyFromAWheelchair, but looking towards the future, he is working on a documentary about his life, A Man Risen. Lombard wants to use this platform to share his story and his positivity.

“I have no idea where I get [my positivity] from, so I’m going to try to put that down into words over the course of 2017 and 2018 while we work on it. I’m looking forward to sharing my story.”

Despite everything he has been through, Lombard remains positive about life and his future, saying that like everyone else, he has his bad days. However, he says his bad days are not focused on his disability, but rather, normal 26-year-old things - like stress, money and relationships.

Lombard says he does not see himself as disabled in the slightest, describing himself as “an able-bodied person who just sits more.” He focuses on the good things in his life –he is doing what he loves and he is able to give back and prove to people that life isn’t over after a trauma.

He describes himself not as disabled, but rather as “an able-bodied person who just sits more.”
In one of his blog posts, Lombard says, “The simple truth is that we cannot change what has happened. We can only ensure that the future brings better things by leading positive lives,”

Lastly, he offers some inspirational words of wisdom, “Next time something bad happens, try the unimaginable and find the good in it. Works for me.”
For more information, visit Lombard’s blog, RugbyFromAWheelchair. Alternatively, connect with him on Twitter.
*Picture courtesy of Dan Lombard