exclusive THETHE DAMAGEDAMAGE GrantGrant shatteredshattered hishis llowerower vertebravertebra (L1)(L1) intointo sixsix pieces,pieces, butbut therethere waswas nono nnerveerve damage.damage. SaysSays neurosurgeonneurosurgeon andand spinespine specialistspecialist DDrr RichardRichard Parkinson:Parkinson: “He’s“He’s beenbeen incrediblyincredibly lucky,lucky, becausebecause tthehe fracturefracture isis rightright nextnext toto thethe bottombottom ofof hishis spine.spine. A lotlot ofof peoplepeople I seesee areare nnotot soso lucky.”lucky.” But,But, unhappilyunhappily forfor Grant,Grant, asas a rresultesult ofof thethe injury,injury, he’she’s lostlost a centimetrecentimetre inin hheight.eight. GRANT’S ACTUAL X-RAYS or a split second as he starting to cramp and curl up. sailed through the air in I felt like I was losing control of a six-and-a-half tonne my limbs and my body parts monster truck, television were shutting down.” daredevil Grant Denyer Waiting for an ambulance at Fthought he’d nailed the stunt. the Dapto Showground, near “I got a lot of air as I went over Wollongong, where he had been the fi ve wrecked cars and I was performing the stunt for media, pretty happy, but as the Australia’s Got Talent Grant’s horror crash I landed, a massive and It Takes Two host jolt shot straight up ‘I FELT LIKE began to confront his through my spine,” worst fears. he recalls. MY BODY “All I could think of THE TV DAREDEVIL TELLS “I tried to suck in was the worst-case some air and keep PARTS WERE scenario. First it was, OF THE DAY HIS WORLD driving, but the pain ‘Am I ever going to race was excruciating SHUTTING again?’. Then my life CAME CRASHING DOWN and I knew I had to started to fl ash in front of get out.” DOWN’ me – ‘When I have children, will The popular TV I be able to walk them to school? I THOUGHT I’D host was in agony as he eased Will I be only half a dad?’. himself out of the enormous “My fears raced away truck, and as his feet touched the uncontrollably. The thought ground, he crumpled. As he lay of never walking again was groaning with pain, he began to harrowing but I had to lose all sensation in his hands. concentrate on calming down.” “I was crying out with every Ten days after the horrifi c breath and my hands were accident, Grant remains fl at on 14 OCTOBER 6, 2008 WOMAN’S DAY 15 NEVER WALK AGAIN For the keen racer and all-round action man, being immobile is proving more of a challenge than performing HOW THE CRASH HAPPENED his legendary stunts. For now, Grant has to settle for “racing” V8 supercars on his hand-held PlayStation. It began as a textbook jump over fi ve wrecked cars. his back in hospital. His website “I’m hoping for a 100 per cent Throughout the ordeal Grant For now he’s having very few cheerfully updates fans that recovery – and that’s still only a continued to take comfort in visitors, because it takes all his The monster leap in full he’s shattered the L1 vertebra hope – but I’m lying as still as I can the fact he could still wiggle his energy just to manage the pain, throttle, and Grant was happy. and has unfortunately lost because the fi rst two weeks are toes. “I’ve seen enough episodes but his mother Glynis and father a centimetre in height, but the the most crucial to make sure the of All Saints to know that was Craig have both spent hours at Grant appreciates chirpy note gives no indication bone fuses and the splinters don’t pretty crucial.” Nevertheless he his bedside. how lucky he’s been, of the trauma he has undergone. move into the spinal cord,” he says. was put into intensive care and Says Grant, “Whenever I was and now has time to refl ect on his manic life. The truth is that he’s been throughout that fi rst night he sick as a little boy, my mum lucky. Had a shard of the was strapped to the bed with his would say, in a cheerful voice, crumpled vertebra penetrated TERROR RIDE head immobilised by blocks. ‘Now, what are we going to do his spinal cord, he could have Surrounded by fl owers, a toy dog with you?’ She said it when she “My favourite Dr Phil sayings I genuinely thought that I was been permanently paralysed. that resembles his border collie walked into the hospital on that are ‘Believe and you will achieve’ invincible. I’ve got fi ve Guinness Speaking exclusively to Fergus and a jar of cookies made ‘INCREDIBLY LUCKY’ fi rst night and hearing it was and ‘If it’s meant to be it’s up to World Records, I’ve done lots of Woman’s Day at Sydney’s St by his girlfriend Cheryl Rogers, The following morning, Grant enormously soothing. I’m sure me’,” he chuckles. dangerous stuff in cars, I’ve been Vincent’s Hospital, the former Grant, 31, recalls the accident. underwent an MRI scan – “it was she was trembling inside, but her Grant says boredom is a on fi re, I’ve been lowered into Sunrise weather presenter is his “When the paramedics arrived like being alive in a coffi n” – face was smiling.” small price to pay if he makes a tank of crocodiles and I’ve naturally ebullient self, cracking they started me on morphine, which gave the doctors greater Having travelled extensively a full recovery. swum with great whites. This jokes about his self-administered but it turns out I have a tolerance confi dence that long term through Australia, for both motor “I’ve visited a lot of hospitals has brought me crashing back pain relief, the superb raspberry to it so the whole ambulance ride damage was unlikely. The racing and his Dare Denyer and have met kids who have down to earth.” On landing, the pain set in, jelly and his profi ciency with a I was feeling every bump, every vertebra was crumpled into segment on Sunrise, Grant spent their whole life in hospital He’s even pragmatic about his and he knew he was in strife. bed pan. Yet as he raises his bed speed hump and every red light. about six pieces, but there was motor racing, having won his fi rst a mere 30 degrees and winces “I was looking for some no nerve damage. two V8 races this season and withwith thethe pain,pain, it’sit’s clearclear thatthat hishis confi dence, but from the puzzled Says Dr Parkinson, “He’s been ‘THIS HAS BROUGHT ME CRASHING leading the fi eld in the 2008 Mini willwill bebe a longlong roadroad toto recovery.recovery. look on the paramedic’s face, incredibly lucky, because the Championship. I could see even he was scared.” fracture is right next to the BACK DOWN TO EARTH’ “I’ve had fi ve friends killed in At Wollongong Hospital, bottom of his spine. A lot of races I’ve been in, so I’m used to Grant was given an analgesic people I see are not so lucky.” admits he’s not coping well with and face a life cut short, so what that reality, but I never thought that took away the pain, but as However, for someone who lying still. He can manage to play I’m going through is nothing I’d come undone in a monster he was slid onto hard boards for lives his life at great speed – up the V8 supercar game on his compared to that. And what truck because they’re slow, the X-rays and told not to move, he to 300km/h in his beloved V8 cars hand-held PlayStation, but he about those people who have to closest thing to driving a cloud.” became increasingly frightened. – the time it took to get answers needs help eating meals and has contend with paralysis for the So, will the accident Back at the Seven Network, was frustrating. to submit to sponge baths and rest of their lives?” change him? medic Dr John D’Arcy was “Putting on the handbrake so regular stocking changes to “This has made me cherish frantically trying to fi nd the best dramatically caused me a lot of prevent him getting deep vein the people around me and medical help available for their internal turmoil,” says Grant. thrombosis. He can tell you there TIME TO REFLECT realise they’re counting on me star presenter. Dr Richard “Dr Parkinson says it’s going to are 784 stripes on the curtains in Although he has many weeks for and need me. It won’t knock the Parkinson, a neurosurgeon and be a long and patient road. Like his hospital room. quiet refl ection ahead, he has cheekiness out of me, but instead Grant lies waiting in spine specialist who’d operated any bone, it’s going to take six to He lasted a day watching already reassessed his approach of putting my head in the lion’s agony under the truck for on Rugby League star Anthony eight weeks to heal, but because Oprah and has now moved on to to his daredevil lifestyle. mouth next time I might just put the ambos, and the verdict. Minichiello, put an operating it’s in my spine I’ve got to be Dr Phil, whose self-help missives “With my motor racing and in my arm.” theatre at St Vincent’s on standby. PICTURES: BROBEN NEWSPIX., PAUL completely immobile.” are proving inspirational.