My name is Vik, I am 30 years old and I live in Wervik, Belgium. Before my accident, I worked as a residential group supervisor. I have always been someone who likes to stay active and take on challenges. Snowboarding was one of my biggest passions. In addition, I love traveling, sports, being outdoors, and spending time with the people who are important to me. Since my accident in March 2025, of course, a very different part of my life has come into play: rehabilitation and learning to cope with a spinal cord injury.
At the time of my accident, I was fully engaged in life. I worked as a group supervisor in a living group with children with disabilities. That job gave me a lot of satisfaction because I like to make a difference for others. In my free time, snowboarding was a big passion. I regularly went to indoor slopes and was mainly focused on freestyle, jumps, and rails. I was actually someone who found it hard to sit still.Traveling, sports, friends, and just being spontaneous were all natural for me.
Until March 5, 2025, when my life changed. While freestyle snowboarding, I fell heavily from about six meters high and landed on my backside. I immediately knew something was seriously wrong. I could no longer feel my legs like before and noticed that I couldn't control my body normally anymore. I was taken to the hospital, where it turned out I had suffered an L1 burst fracture with damage to my spinal cord. I was operated on the same day. What I remember most is how unreal it all was.
“In the morning, I had just gone snowboarding, and suddenly my life had completely changed.”
The period immediately after was incredibly intense.I spent a long time in the hospital and actually had to relearn how to deal with my body. Things that used to happen automatically suddenly became exercises. Sitting up straight, standing straight, making transfers, learning to walk… but also dealing with my bladder and bowels and learning to catheterize. I think people often mainly think about not being able to walk anymore, but a spinal cord injury has many more consequences than that. My rehabilitation became a big part of my daily life.
‘’There were moments when I saw progress and that gave me a lot of motivation, but there were also moments when I was frustrated and wondered what my future would look like. ’’
That day I wore both a back protector and crash pants with protection around my sitting area. I fell from about six meters high and had a heavy impact on my back and sitting area.Despite the protection, I suffered an L1 burst fracture and an incomplete spinal cord injury. In hindsight, I've actually become much more aware of how important that protection has been.
“I think that the combination of my protection and the fact that I ultimately have an incomplete spinal cord injury has ensured that the consequences weren't even more severe.”
For example, I can still walk a considerable distance today with aids. Of course, I don't want to claim that you can never get seriously injured with a back protector. You can. But my experience has taught me that protection can really make a difference!
I especially miss the normalcy in everyday things. But also my work and snowboarding itself, of course.I used to just decide to go somewhere, snowboard, take a walk, or do something active without thinking about it. Now I have to plan a lot more and take my body and my environment into account...
For someone with ADHD, that's a big adjustment and it takes a lot of energy. I also miss certain things that may seem small, like just being able to walk around somewhere without aids or without the fear of falling. My social life and relationships have also changed. Not because the people around me have disappeared, but because I have changed myself and some things require more energy, planning, or adjustment. At the same time, I try not to only focus on what I've lost. I've also learned to value much more the things I used to take for granted.
A big misunderstanding about a spinal cord injury is that a spinal cord injury equals “not being able to walk anymore.” There are so many different forms and levels of spinal cord injury. My situation looks different, for example, than that of someone with a high spinal cord injury who is completely dependent on assistance. But even when someone can walk, it doesn’t mean that everything is back to normal.
Another important misunderstanding is that you can see how severe someone’s disability is just by looking at them. That is often not the case at all. For me, a spinal cord injury is much more than my legs functioning less. It affects my bladder and bowels, sensation, sexuality, balance, fatigue, daily independence, and so much more.
Additionally, there’s also the fact that you can experience a lot of back pain and nerve pain daily, as I do myself.
A treatment that could actually restore my spinal cord damage would mean a lot to me.
‘’My first goal would probably be to regain as much independence as possible. Just being able to walk without aids would be fantastic for me.’’
But my dream goes beyond just myself: I can still do relatively much on my own today, and I am very aware that there are people with much higher spinal cord injuries who are dependent on others for many more daily activities. I do all this for them. If there ever comes a treatment that can give people with spinal cord injuries more independence, I would love to contribute to that. That is also one of the reasons why I want to share my story.
I try to look hopefully at the research for a solution for spinal cord injuries, but also realistically. A tremendous amount of research is being done on spinal cord injury and there are many interesting developments. At the same time, I know that research takes time and that you have to be careful with expectations. For me, the most important thing is that investment in research continues and that people with a spinal cord injury remain involved in that story. I also want to learn more about new technologies, treatments, and aids. Not just for myself, but also because I would like to share that knowledge with others later.
I think that awareness about back protection can make a big difference. Before my accident, I never really thought about the consequences of a heavy fall while snowboarding.I knew you could get injured, but a spinal cord injury felt like something very far from my own life. I think a lot of people feel the same way. Therefore, I don't want to say that everyone is required to wear a back protector or scare people into snowboarding. I mainly think that people need to know what risks they are taking and what protection exists, so they can make an informed choice about it themselves.
’’If my story makes one snowboarder think after seeing it: “Maybe I’ll buy a back protector after all,” then it has already meant something to me.’’
And ultimately, I want to use my platform for more than just prevention. I also want to show what life looks like after a spinal cord injury and advocate for people who live with its consequences every day, especially for those who are much less independent than I am.
