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Like many young people, UK law graduate Joe McEwan was planning to explore New Zealand in a campervan as part of his big OE.
However, everything changed dramatically a year ago, when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of just 22 while playing in a lacrosse tournament in the north of England.
His heart stopped for four minutes, but thanks to medical professionals and a defibrillator on site, he not only survived, but is now able to take on walking the length of New Zealand.
McEwan was diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome, a rare condition that affects the electrical messages that control his heart rate, but since having an internal defibrillator fitted, he has been fine.
“One of the most frustrating things was losing my driving licence for six months and I started joking and saying I’ll have to walk around New Zealand instead,” he said. “Then I heard about Te Araroa trail and thought I actually could do that, and raise some money and awareness for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity that provides screening for unknown heart conditions.”
Which is why, on October 29, a tired and muddy McEwan reached the Top of the Dome as part of his four-month, 3000km hike from Cape Reinga to Bluff. The punishing track up from Pakiri and over Mt Tamahunga had taken longer than he expected, but he was in good spirits and enjoying the trek so far.
