Ben's Story
![Ben_Kicking[1]_2.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/291204_d8dc41c3a12143ac9b37656c1102f3cc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_332,h_384,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Ben_Kicking%5B1%5D_2.jpg)
Ben was born and raised in Hong Kong, where he spent his days with his much loved family and friends. He developed a passion for rugby from a young age and dedicated his time outside of school training in the sport. Ben's training paid off, as he broke into the first XV Hong Kong Football Club team at only 17 years old. Nicknamed the “Baby-Faced Assassin” for his young talent in kicking the team to many victories, Ben was a rising star of Hong Kong rugby, set to try out for a professional Australian rugby team after he finished high school. However, just one month before the try outs, Ben’s dreams to represent his country in rugby came to an unexpected end.
On August 22nd 2010, at the age of 18, Ben was representing Hong Kong in the under 20s Asian Championships in Bangkok. Five minutes into the first game, Ben suffered a spinal cord injury coming out of a ruck when a member of the opposition collided with Ben’s neck. Ben was rushed to hospital and spent the next four months in ICU in Bangkok and Hong Kong fighting drug-resistant pneumonia with his family and friends nearby. Countless surgeries later, Ben was diagnosed with incomplete quadriplegia and life in a wheelchair.
Training took on a different shape when Ben spent the next two years doing physical rehabilitation in Australia and the US, focusing on rebuilding his strength to live as much of an independent life as possible in a chair.
It's been over 10 years since Ben's accident, and he can honestly say that he wouldn’t change a thing. His determination is as alive as ever and he has never let his injury come in the way of him living a beautiful life. Ben has since gone on to excel by completing a Law degree and travel the world with his amazing friends, beautiful partner, Andrea, and trusty assistance dog sidekick, Gumnut. Ben now spends his days practicing as a lawyer and advocating to raise funds for spinal cord research.​
Ben's story is one of hope and determination. Life does not end with spinal cord injury. The Ben Kende Spinal Research Foundation’s mission is to change perceptions around disability and to fund research projects with the goal that one day we can find a cure for paralysis.
