Spinal Network News - December 2017

Never Give Up
Alex Dalzell pauses for a moment. His eyes dart around
the room and he flashes a cheeky smile as he considers
the question. “How do I say it?,” he said, deep in
thought. The question was: what advice would Dalzell
offer to other people who have sustained a spinal cord
impairment (SCI) and are at the start of their journey? It
is a tough one. Dalzell, who is considered, honest, and
eloquent during our hour-long conversation talking about
his life as a tetraplegic, replies in good time.
“I’d say to them: be positive and, don’t waste your
opportunities.” Dalzell was asked to talk to a couple of
young men (aged 15-16 years) but was reluctant at first,
as he feared he would be too honest about how hard it is.
It is bloody tough. He reconsidered though, as he wanted
to make a difference, like others had for him back in the
day. The students with an SCI were given the option
of not going back to school, which stirred something in
Dalzell. “They were told that, if you miss school, it is not
a big deal. …I think it is a really big deal,” he said. “If I had
stopped going to university after my injury, then I don’t
think I would have ever gone back. I felt like I was over
my spinal cord injury the day I left hospital, but I am still in
the same headspace that I was then. If your teacher says:
‘You don’t need to get to class.’… Get to class.” It was a
stirring response from Dalzell and, a moment during our
chat through his tough times and good times where he
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