Chris Cairns: Don’t know if I will ever walk again but lucky to be alive

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns does not know if he will ever walk again but says he is lucky to be alive after a series of life-threatening surgeries left him paralysed waist down. “It is now about understanding I can lead a full and enjoyable life in a wheelchair but at the same time knowing it will be different.” Cairns, who played 62 Tests and 215 ODIs for New Zealand between 1989 to 2006, is facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair but he said he is simply “lucky to still be here.” “It has been 14 weeks since I had my injury and it feels like a lifetime when I look back. I was completely out of it.” Explaining the events of the fateful day in August, Cairns said, “I remember dropping kids off at school that morning. Next thing I remember is waking up in Sydney nine days later not knowing what was going on.” Cairns feels his sporting career is helping his recovery as he hopes to be able to walk again.