- Narele did all she could to help her husband, Chris, who’d been a tetraplegic since he was 15
- She found a doctor who helped greatly improve Chris’s mobility and manage his pain
- She also supported his dream to become a race car driver and became part of his personal pit crew
- Narele suffered a massive heart attack from the physical stress of helping lift Chris in and out of the car but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to support Chris’s racing efforts
- Narele Barrow, 52, from Wellard, WA, shares her story below
Checking my dating app, a smile spread across my face.
I had a new message from Chris, 29, a guy I’d been chatting to for a couple of days.
I’d love to take you out, he wrote. But I need to let you know I’m a tetraplegic.
I messaged him back instantly.
That makes no difference to me, I’d love to meet up, I replied.
Read more: Meet the wheel-chair bound cheerleader who refused to let her horrific accident stop her from chasing her dreams
Meeting at the local bakery the next day, Chris’s personality shone so brightly I barely noticed his wheelchair.
He was sweet and had me in stitches with his jokes.
He explained he’d been paralysed since a BMX accident aged 15, though he could use his left leg, left hand and right shoulder.
“I used to be so active, but now I’m stuck inside all the time,” he sighed.
“Let’s get you out and about then,” I smiled.
We started going to parks and I was happy to push Chris around when he needed me to, as his chair was manual.
We were both huge fans of the speedway, so we started going there, too.
Then, in October 2010, Chris came over for dinner.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Of course,” I beamed.
Not wanting to make a fuss or spend much money, we married in an intimate wedding at the local park, in front of two of our best friends and the celebrant.
Then, in May 2012, we welcomed our boy, Jeremy.
Chris was an amazing dad, but sometimes he’d get frustrated with things he couldn’t do.
Luckily, Chris’s parents Alan and Mirra were very supportive and were always there to lend a hand.
In 2014, I took voluntary redundancy from my job so I could look after Chris and Jeremy full-time.
In 2020, Chris’s nerve pain was so bad he was in hospital for four months.
I started worrying he wouldn’t be around to see Jeremy become a teenager.
“I’m going to write to all the top doctors in Australia and see if they can help you,” I told him.
Remarkably, a spinal specialist from Sydney wrote back, explaining there were some rehab trials and medications that could help.
He referred Chris to a colleague who, with a mixture of physiotherapy, massages, stretching and hydrotherapy, was able to help Chris manage the pain and improve his mobility.
We were able to visit the speedway again.
Leaving the track one night, Chris seemed down.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It was my dream to race speedway,” he admitted.
“I bet you still could,” I encouraged him, but he wasn’t convinced.
As Jeremy got older, he became interested in go-karting and motocross, and in 2022, Chris decided to join in Jeremy’s fun.
“I’m going to give it a go,” he said.
Jeremy and I lifted Chris into a go-kart and then, putting his right hand on the clutch and using his shoulder to push his hand to change the gear, he was able to drive with his left leg and hand.
“I’m doing it!” he cheered.
He spent hours racing Jeremy around the track. I’d never seen him so alive.
“If I can drive a go-kart, I reckon I could drive a late model race car,” he said at dinner one night.
“We’ll use our savings to buy one,” I grinned.
Chris’s dad helped us out, and a month later we had our dream racing car, a Longhorn.
Chris had to pass a medical assessment to prove he could vacate the car on his own in case of a fire.
He did, and after 24 years in a wheelchair, he could finally fulfill his dream.
Chris raced as much as possible. His dad Alan and I became his personal pit crew, changing tyres and helping him in and out of the car.
Standing behind the railings at Ellenbrook Speedway in May 2023, it all became worth it.
Chris was one of the few wheelchair users to win a speedway race in Western Australia.
Cheers erupted from the crowd as he did a victory lap.
“Go Dad!” Jeremy, 11, yelled.
A few months later, I woke up with pain in my arms, and my back felt like it was on fire.
I put it down to indigestion but by the evening, I couldn’t stick it.
“I really don’t feel well,” I admitted to Chris.
By the time I arrived in hospital I was screaming in pain.
A nurse grabbed a wheelchair and hooked me up to an ECG.
“You’ve had a massive heart attack,” she said. “You need surgery now.”
I was taken to theatre and when I woke up, the surgeon explained I had a tear in my heart that they couldn’t close, but had covered with a net.
“This form of heart attack is caused by extreme physical stress,” he told me.
It had likely been caused by lifting Chris in and out of the car and repairing the cars for him.
“We’ve been so worried,” Chris cried afterwards.
Doctors monitored me for the next 24 hours.
I had another heart attack, but doctors got it under control quickly.
Now, I do physiotherapy every week and I’m on medication for life.
I can’t do the physical labour I did before, but that won’t hold us back.
Our next goal is to travel to Toowoomba, Qld, to compete in the Late Model Racing National Titles.
Despite everything we’ve been through, I’m living the dream as long as I have my two boys next to me.
To help Chris compete in the Australian Titles, search ‘Narele Barrow’ on gofundme.com
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