Guy Harrison almost died when he was three years old. Harrison had a seizure and as a result he suffered cerebral palsy. He was told that if he didn’t get into sport he would likely be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. But with the help of his parents, he never looked back and now a lifetime goal is within reach.

Guy’s story — a life of overcoming the odds

By Peter Thornton

Guy Harrison says taking up the game of golf saved his life.

The 22-year-old from the Hawke’s Bay is a talented sportsman.

He plays off an eight handicap and most weekends you’ll find him on the Napier Golf Club fairways working on his game or having a haggle with his dad.

“If I hadn’t kept my body moving, it was likely that I would have spent the rest of my life in a wheelchair,’’ Harrison explains.

``Sport has literally saved my life.”

His dad signed him up to be a junior member at the Awatoto Golf Club and he went onto Maraenui Golf Club. He now plays at Napier and competes at the highest level in New Zealand against other golfers with disabilities.

In 2022, he was named as the All-Abilities Golfer of the Year by Golf New Zealand.

“Golf has always been my true love,” Harrison continues.

“I love being outside with mates and traveling around playing different golf courses. It was a huge honour to be All-Abilities Golfer of the Year after winning three events during the year.”

He has nothing but fond memories of learning the game with his father.

“For me, the ultimate goal was beating dad. The goal I was always trying to achieve was beating him and catching up to him.”

His father played off an 18 handicap and when Guy got his handicap, he played off a 36. By the time he was 11, he had already achieved his goal.

“I have such a good relationship with my dad. We still play today. I play off an eight and he plays off a 28 at the moment, which means he’s always changing the rules.

“I used to give him five shots, then it went to 18 shots, now we have a rule if he beats me on a hole he wins, which adds a lot of pressure on myself.”

He hopes that one day golf will be included in the Paralympics so he and many other golfers with disabilities can participate in one of the world’s most prestigious events.

“I love my golf. The problem with golf at the Paralympics is how can you make it fair? There are so many disabilities out there, hopefully in 2032 or 2028 they can have it, but trying to make a classification system to make it fair and equal is hard.

“My ultimate goal is to make the Paralympics, but there is a lot to be done before I have the opportunity to try and go.”

Harrison is also an accomplished swimmer and lately he has committed himself to a long-term goal of qualifying for the Paralympics as a swimmer. He’s targeting the 100m freestyle and backstroke.

“It would mean everything,” he says. “I’ve always dreamed of representing New Zealand at the Paralympics. So, to get that number and to be included in that legacy would be a special achievement. It’s something I’m working towards.”

Harrison is focused on qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.

“It would be an awesome achievement for everyone in the Hawke’s Bay who has helped me along the way and supported me in achieving my goals.”

Trying to qualify for the Paralympics is a long way from where Harrison has been.

When he was three years old, he had a seizure lying on his couch at home.

“My eyes rolled back into my head, and I was unconscious. I was dead for 10 minutes as they raced me to hospital and tried to resuscitate me. I was lucky to survive.”

Harrison suffered cerebral palsy because of the seizure. He was encouraged to get into low-impact sports like golf and swimming, to regain his mobility.

Growing up, he needed to do five years of speech therapy just to talk.

“I had to relearn everything. It all changed in a moment.

He was also a talented runner. He won silver at World Junior Para Athlete Championship in Switzerland in 2017 in 800 metre race. But in 2021, he had Achilles surgery which ended that dream and he has got back in the pool.

“I’d always loved swimming and had used it to keep me moving. I thought to myself, I have always been a good swimmer, I just needed to commit myself to give it a crack.”

Harrison was part of the first cohort of the Para Sport Collective and is chasing higher honours.

“It’s so cool to be part of a group of athletes who are all aspiring to do the same thing. It has been awesome to be able to gain some more knowledge to help my own development but also have connections which will help further down the track.”

The Para Sport Collective, a Paralympics New Zealand initiative supported by community partner Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), is for those in the pre-high performance stage of the Para sport pathway, where a need was uncovered for greater support and community.

Away from his sport, Harrison is in the final year of studying a bachelor of sport and exercise science.

“It has been great bringing a diversity and inclusion lens to all of this work.”

He said the support of his parents has helped him throughout his life.

“They instilled in me early on that mentality that anything is possible and encouraged me to chase my dreams. If you love what you are doing, and work hard then you can achieve great things.”

He has good advice for any young people living with a disability and are unsure about their future.

“Find your passion. Whatever it is, invest in some sort of recreational activity to keep your body moving. Enjoy life and do the things that you love to do.

“I know that you have gone through heartache and pain but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Take small steps and keep moving forward.”

What is the Para Sport Collective?

The Para Sport Collective, a Paralympics New Zealand initiative supported by community partner ACC, is for those in the pre-high performance stage of the Para sport pathway, where a need was uncovered for greater support and community.

A total of 20 coaches and 22 Para athletes were selected for the first cohort of the Para Sport Collective.

ACC believes participation in Para sport has a positive impact on wellbeing and rehabilitation.

The aim of ACC is to motivate and inspire people to lead active lives, through positive role models and opportunities to try Para sport – at any level.