Surfer faces the prospect of never walking again after wipeout

A young surfer fears he may never walk again after a powerful wave pummelled him into a sandbank and broke his spine. 

Johnny Konings, 31, suffered a fractured spine, bent spinal cord, broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung after a freak wipeout on the first wave of his session at Duranbah Beach on the Queensland-NSW border last Tuesday. 

The Kiwi native was held above the surface of the water by other surfers before he was stretchered from the beach and airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. 

He has since undergone surgery but is paralysed from the waist down with no sensation in his legs. 

‘The worst case scenario is that it’s unlikely he will walk again,’ his fiancee Charlotte Gordon told Nine News.

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Mr Konings has since been transferred to Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The young couple, who got engaged during a snow trip in January, were meant to be celebrating their impending nuptials with family and friends across the ditch in New Zealand this week.

Instead, Ms Gordon is by his hospital side ahead of a long road to recovery.

‘We process, and choose to focus on the wins. We are overwhelmed with your wishes and good energy, we can feel the love from here,’

Ms Gordon wrote on a GoFundMe fundraiser set up by a friend for her fiancé’s recovery that after the accident ‘life as we knew it has been changed in an instant’.

‘When life gives you lemons, you throw in some lime, salt, a shit ton of tequila and make a bloody strong margarita,’ she wrote.

‘On his first wave of the day, he hit a sand bank and broke his back, bent his spinal cord, broke a few ribs and had a slightly collapsed lung.

‘He was held above the surface and helped into shore by a group of surfers, body boarders and lifeguards who we are eternally grateful for and thank you will truly never be enough.

‘He was then treated by a team of paramedics, and airlifted by Westpac rescue helicopter to Brisbane to have surgery and begin what will be the biggest journey of our lives.’

Ms Gordon revealed that although his surgery went ‘really well’, he’s ‘currently paralysed from the waist down with no sensation’.  

‘We remain incredibly positive and are going to throw everything we possibly can at this,’ she continued.

Fighting back tears, Mr Konings described the injury as ‘his worst nightmare’.

 ‘I’m extremely determined to get back to my feet again,’ he added.

He hasn’t given up hope on walking again.

‘I’m walking outta here. Mark my words,’ Mr Konings posted on Instagram earlier this week.

The couple have been documenting the challenging recovery process on social media.

‘Our days are big, and we’re experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, but appreciative and so grateful for all the little milestones each day,’ a recent post states.

Ms Gordon described Monday as their ‘hardest (day) to date’.

‘There’s going to be good days, and bad days and we just keep taking it day by day, she wrote on Instagram. 

‘Tomorrow is a new day that will bring new progress, new firsts and new challenges.

‘We both go to sleep every night dreaming and visualising walking along the beach together.’

The GoFundMe page has almost raised $14,000 of its $100,000 goal.