How Fred got back on his feet after freak incident
A TOOWOOMBA man is back on his feet, a year after his family was told he would never walk again.
Regional News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Regional News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A TOOWOOMBA man is back on his feet, a year after his family was told he would never walk again.
The new year has heralded a turning point for farmer Fred Borchardt, who has faced many challenges after a quad bike accident near Tara.
"In December 2017 I was due to host a New Year's Eve party, but instead my sister found me collapsed on the bathroom floor at a property out near Moonie," Mr Borchardt.
"They chucked me in a helicopter and sent me to the PA (Hospital).
"It turns out I had a bleed on the brain, I had fallen off a quad a few days before and I think it had taken a while to flatten me."
Mr Borchardt 's family rushed to be by his side as doctors warned he had a slim chance of survival.
"As you can see, I didn't die, but I did lose about five months," he said.
As he started on his journey to recovery, he then received a second bout of bad news.
"After three months I wasn't healing as well as they had hoped, my right side was quite weak," he said.
"I had always had a bad back and, when the doctors checked it, I had all but severed my spine in two spots.
"They then fused the bottom 12 vertebrae and I stayed at the PA for another seven months."
After the operation, Mr Borchardt said he lost most of his movement.
"The specialists told my son 'your old man will never walk again'," he said.
"And Tom said, 'he'll walk, he's the most determined, stubborn person I know'."
And it was this disposition that got Mr Borchardt through the following months, as he worked tirelessly to regain his strength.
"I have worked hard, I used to get out of the physio in a lather of sweat," he said.
"I told people I was going to walk, that was my goal."
On Friday, Mr Borchardt was at integratedliving Australia in Toowoomba completing a session on the machines.
After being unable to move his legs, he can now walk 10 metres unassisted.
"You can't sit around waiting for something to happen, you have to get up and do it," he said.
"I believe it's made me a better person, certainly a more patient person, as I have had to wait for 12 months to take my first steps.
"I've just bought a farm north of Kingsthorpe and I'm hopeful this will be a good year."
