Nine years ago at age 52, Graeme Everett had a stroke that left him unable to walk or talk. Since then his speech has improved, and while his mobility remains a challenge, getting a three-wheeler recumbent bike changed his life.
“I can’t run, do marathons, swim, tramp or climb mountains anymore, but I can cycle on a recumbent bike,” Graeme says.
So much so, that now age 61, he is currently at the top of the South Island halfway through cycling roughly 3000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff to raise funds for other stroke survivors in his local Whakatāne Awhi Mai Stroke Group, and to help repair a friend’s recumbent bike.
Graeme is travelling with wife Kate. Their children, Jonathan and Daniel were part of their support crew in the North Island and Hannah and Michael went to the west coast for a couple of days to lend moral support. He expects to reach Bluff on March 16. Crossing the finish line will mark the end of a month-long journey in which he has cycled around 130km a day.
“The bike has been an incredible lifeline for Graeme. It gives him so much joy to be outdoors,” says Graeme’s wife, Kate.
Enliven Individual Funding (IF), which helps people with disabilities manage their disability funding to support their plans and dreams, helped Graeme improve his mobility and purchase and modify the recumbent bike he is using for this journey. It has Power Assist to help him up hills, but is mostly driven by pedalling.
Graeme and Kate say they are grateful to Enliven IF for seeing what was possible, giving Graeme options to get out and do it, and the team support over the years.
Enliven Individualised Funding Regional Manager Janette Third says it is exciting to see Graeme achieve so much with the support of this funding.
After his stroke, Graeme worked really hard to get back mobility. Cycling on the recumbent bike has helped him build muscle strength and fitness. To prepare for the journey, he cycled 600km each week sometimes with a cycling buddy.
Flags and signs at the back of the bike alert drivers that he is on the road.
He is following the Tour Aotearoa route as much as he can which mainly consists of back roads, gravel roads and cycle tracks. He can’t do many off-road parts of the tour, so instead opts for less-used routes to lower the risk of being on the open road.
You can follow Graeme Everett’s journey on Instagram #trikeguygraeme.
To support his journey, go to https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/graeme-everetts-trike-ride
To find out more about Individualised Funding, call 0800 IF ENLIVEN or 0800 43 365 4836, email ifenliven@psn.org.nz or visit www.enlivennorthern.org.nz
ENDS
About Enliven
Enliven is leading and innovative provider of both at-home support and Individualised funding support for people with the lived experience of disability. The funding that people with disabilities access, can be used in a way that offers choice around the services they require and a flexibility that allows them to identify what is important to them and use the funding to achieve their goals.
Enliven is the health and disability arm of Presbyterian Support Northern, a charity that also provides the well-known and trusted social services of Family Works, Lifeline, and Shine.
For further information, contact:
Chrissy Hamilton
PSN External Communications Adviser
021 734 382
