Being Me: Sarah Morrell
Sarah Morrell has a rare genetic condition called Morquio IV which means she is just one metre tall....
Being Me: Te Huia Apaapa
26-year-old Te Huia Apaapa is a gifted runner and triathlete known as ‘The Rocketman’. Te Huia has a...
Being Me: Joshua Sade-Inia
Joshua Sade-Inia is a burns survivor who’s scars cover half of his body. To Josh they represent his ...
Being Me
The quintessential Attitude episode. Being Me tells the story of remarkable individuals who face the...
Being Me: Juanita Willems
Pre-Christmas Juanita Willems is flat out, collecting, wrapping and distributing presents for foste...
Being Me: Bailee Lobb
Installation artist Bailee Lobb uses her colourful works to explore lived experience of disability, ...
Being Me: Ripu
Ripu was 21, living in Sydney and finishing a Masters in Journalism when meningococcal septicaemia n...
Being Me: Claire
Claire Freeman's achieved a lot since a spinal injury that put her in a wheelchair at 17, a design d...
Being Me: Jono
At birth, Jono Nelson was given just 24 hours to live. Now the Timaru-based hand cyclist, who lives ...
Being Me Alix
Alix Generous has spoken at the United Nations, made a significant contribution to science, given tw...
Being Me: Veronique Theberge
Five years on from an acquired brain injury due to encephalitis, Veronique Theberge is training for ...
Being Me: Kiranjit Singh
Tetraplegic, Kiranjit Singh, is competing to qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Para-sport shooting...
Being Me: Sam Smith
Sam Smith is a comedian and a new dad. He doesn't take life too seriously but he's just been diagnos...
Being Me: Aidan Terpstra
Aidan’s life changed forever when he was knocked out with a king-hit punch. The injury to his brain ...
Being Me: Susan Williams 8/5/22
Non-binary performance artist Susan Williams adores theatre. Their latest show, Illegally Blind, is ...
Being Me: Hayley
17-year-old double amputee, Haley Birch is breaking records. Having survived meningococcal disease, ...
Being Me: Devon Briggs
Para-athlete Devon Briggs was born with severe clubfeet, twisted backwards. The 18-year-old has end...
Being Us: Liam and Shane
Liam has Down Syndrome, and while technically Shane is teaching him life skills, Liam's the one who'...
Being Me: Dillon Maydon
Dillon's life was altered at just eighteen when he was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare ge...
Being Us: Andrey and Eilish
Best friends Andrey and Eilish are the Yin to each other's Yang and would be lost without one anothe...
Being Me Nick
Nick Chisholm is a body builder whose body is paralysed, a talker who spells words out with his eyes...
Being Me: Eltje
Eltje lived for cycling and competing. While out training, she was struck by a car and suffered a tr...
Being Me: Cyrus
Resourceful 13-year-old Cyrus, who lives with Cerebral Palsy, wanted an accessible swing in the park...
Being Me: Gigi
Gigi, a sassy girl with Down Syndrome from a small town America has a big dream - to walk the catwal...
Being Me: Marfan Syndrome
Over 6 feet tall at just 13 years old, Milly manages the rare condition Marfan Syndrome, while griev...
Being Me: Danielle Aitchison
Danielle Aitchison was born with Cerebral Palsy. As a child she struggled to walk, but her family en...
Being Me Sam
Sam Humphrey is the height of your average 7-year old. Except that he's not 7 - he's 22. However Sam...
Being Me: Heather
As Heather Lawson turns heads while walking the streets of Melbourne with her dressed-up walking can...
Being Me: Cory
Punk-rock frontman Cory Newman is creating big waves with his band. The award-winning 17-year-old, w...
Being Me: John
Sport has been a huge part of John Marrable’s life since an accident put him in a wheelchair. His ma...
Being Me: Cody Steps Up
Tetraplegia hasn’t stopped wheelchair rugby star Cody Everson from stepping up to adulthood. He owns...
Being Me: Ian
Ian Stewart is a flamboyant 24-year-old with an eye for fashion, beauty and soap operas. But when dy...
Being Me: Jared Flitcroft
Jared Flitcroft is a filmmaker, businessman, family man, and he is Deaf. Overcoming barriers to achi...
Being Me Shakti
Shakti Krishnan is leaving his family to pursue tertiary life in the big smoke, and to prove to his ...
Being Me: Brent Eyskens
Unable to communicate verbally, songwriter Brent Eyskens - who lives with Cerebral Palsy - has found...
Being Me: Lusi
Groundbreaking performer Lusi Faiva reconnects with her Samoan heritage as she makes her mark on Wel...
Being Me Freedom
Freedom was diagnosed with eye cancer at three months old, having both eyes removed by age five. Now...
Being Me: Robbie
Robbie Francis is 27, and doing her bit to change the world. She's bringing together disability, sus...
Being Me: Carlos
Carlos Biggeman is an award-winning photographer, he’s about to publish a book of his work. He was b...
Being Me: Geneva
Geneva Tino's cerebral palsy means she needs a TalkLink device to communicate... ironically the 24-y...
Being Me: Petra
When she was six Petra was diagnosed with cancer. She beat it - four times before she was sixteen. N...
Being Me: Josh Davies
26-year-old Josh Davies is a stand-up comedian trying to turn making people laugh into a full time l...
Being Me: Jason
Throughout childhood Jason Edgecombe was different and suffered endless rejection. But a diagnosis o...
Being Me Rex
Rhys Davies was a successful I.T. engineer before a head injury changed life dramatically. He's not ...
Being Me: Steff Green
Author Steff Green writes full-time from her home in the Kaipara Harbour. Legally blind, Steff was o...
Being Us: Nathan and Michael
A friendship born out of a love for sport, Nathan and Michael's fates aligned thanks to their passio...
Being Me: Eamon
32-year-old Eamon Wood has travelled all over the world in his wheelchair. Now he’s back home in Chr...
Being Me: Brylee
At six, Brylee Mills lost her arm, and has been coming to terms with it ever since. She's embarking ...
Being Me: Rachael Leahcar
Australian singer-songwriter, Rachael Leahcar, was born with retinitis pigmentosa and at 25-years-ol...
Being Me: William
Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety as a child, 25-year-old William Luskie is now an...
Being Me: Erica
Born with a rare condition that affects her outward appearance, Erica Perry proves it’s what’s on th...
Being Me: Rachel Māia
Rachel Māia lives in constant pain, considering amputating her leg to reach new heights.
Being Me: Barney Looks Back
Barney lost his hands and legs from meningitis as a baby. At 25, he looks back on the life lessons ...
Being Me: Samarra
Samarra Wright grew up fearing she’d get MND - it killed her mother and many of her wider family. H...
Being Me: Jack
At 18, Jack Brown made a decision that would put him in a wheelchair for life. Facing his new realit...
Being Me: Sarah
Though born with CHARGE syndrome, 22-year-old Sarah Dalton doesn’t let it define her. She’s an avid ...
Being Me: Joshua
Joshua Sade-Inia is a burns survivor. The scars, which cover almost half his body represent his ins...
Being Me: Ming Ming
Blind since birth, Ming Ming has never let that stop him being involved in everything from cricket t...
Being Me: Kasem
13-year-old refugee Kasem lost his leg and much of his upper arm in a bomb attack in Syria, which al...
Cody Everson is a 23 year old wheelchair user, and eight years into his new life, feels he has got his life together. A high school rugby accident in 2011 dramatically changed his life and left him as a tetraplegic, having dislocated his C5/6 vertebrae.
"A guy who was a lot bigger than me landed on top of me" he explains, "I fell wrong and from that moment I couldn’t feel my legs. Since then I haven’t walked."
Then began his long road to recovery, “The early days were tough, I couldn’t do anything for myself. Being in the spinal unit was where I took control of my independence, I met people who gave me advice about how to do things.”
Since leaving hospital Cody has rebuilt his life, he bought a house, found a partner and has two 'kids'… in the form of dogs. He also reclaimed his independence by upgrading from a van with a driver, to what he counts as his biggest achievement in his recovery; getting his own car and learning how to drive again.
Cody met his partner Jess two years ago through a mutual friend and after much persistence he took her out on a date, “I knew she was the one,” Jess admires how far Cody has come and loves the confidence he exudes.
Sport plays a big role in Cody’s life as he had to find something to fill the gap rugby left. Now he has been playing wheelchair rugby for six years and has made it into the top team, the Wheel Blacks. The team is made up of wheelchair-users with different levels of ability ranked on a point system, Cody classes as a ‘one-pointer,’ because he does not have much function in his arms or hands.
Wheelchair rugby has motivated Cody to train hard and be the best he can, “When I got into the Wheel Blacks I realised how far I could go,” now he goes to the gym with a personal trainer to improve his strength with an aim to be at the top of his form. He's had the opportunity to captain the team through a tournament and has travelled overseas for competitions, the tactical coach Greg Mitchell says he is highly ranked, “for his point class he’s one of the top players in the world.”
Cody has also recently taken on a new job with Health Vision, talking to other wheelchair-users about independence in life with a wheelchair, “This is my first job, it’s quite cool to have a job and an office to feel like I’m doing something.”
A visit from an old friend, Sholto from his hospital days ignites Cody’s gratitude, “I don’t think I would have found wheelchair rugby or met all these people without him.”
Sholto also sees how far his friend has come; “He’s gone from being this young kid to this mature young man who has had a go at captaincy, he’s found a young lady, he owns his house,” he has come a long way.
Upon reflection Cody is proud of where he is but wants to keep moving forward, “six years ago I didn’t see myself where I am right now, I’d love to go travelling and spend some time in Europe. I can almost 100 percent say I wouldn’t be where I am now if I was walking.”
