A Story of Strength, Adaptation & Joy
by Joel Sardi, Forward Ambassador
For Forward Ambassador Joel Sardi, the ocean was once a place of ease, adventure, and freedom. After his spinal cord injury, the idea of returning to the beach felt impossible. Too many barriers. Too many uncertainties. Until the day he returned in a way he never expected.
With the right support and a deep determination to live life fully, Joel rediscovered the magic of the water. The weightlessness, the salt on his skin, the laughter of his family around him—all reminders that life after injury isn’t about what’s lost, but what’s still possible.
In a powerful reflection, Joel shares his journey back to the ocean after his spinal cord injury. It is a journey of reclaiming joy, adapting to challenges, and embracing life beyond limitations, and about the small victories that become life-changing moments.
Joel’s story is a testament to the fact that life doesn’t stop after injury—it just takes a new form. With the right mindset and the right people by your side, new possibilities open up.
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The ocean breeze carries a unique salty scent, the Australian sun blazes high yet emitting heat as if only meters away, the sounds of people laughing & children playing, the smell of sunscreen, it’s greasy feel on the skin, waves lapping up on the shoreline. I used to take these things for granted—before my injury. Before I became a quadriplegic. For years, the idea of entering onto a sandy beach again, feeling the water rush over me, seemed impossible. Experiencing the emotions & senses synonymous with a day at the beach was a distant memory, I had made peace with the fact it was another element perhaps lost to the limitations of spinal cord injury. Too many barriers, too many uncertainties.
But today, I’m here. I’ve got my family/support crew, basic beach chair, the days food and water (and catheters!), beach umbrella & my huge beach towel.
The weather dictates everything for me now. A hot day isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s a challenge. My body doesn’t regulate temperature the way it used to, so overheating is a real concern. On the other hand, a cold breeze can send chills straight through me, tightening my muscles. But today is just right. The sun is warm but not oppressive, the wind is gentle, and the water glistens invitingly. I find myself comfortable when the temp sits at around 27-30 degrees. Allowing my body to slowly rise in temp to a point where it is no longer tolerable, to be relieved with a bucket of refreshing ocean water poured over me. The breeze and wet skin on a hot day is an amazing sensation!
Getting onto the beach is an adventure of its own. Sand and wheelchairs don’t mix, but thanks to beach mats and specialized chairs, we can roll into the water, if you so choose. With that being said however, I avoid getting on the mats in my chair, the salty water & sand is a quick & sure way to erode integral parts of the chair. Alternatively, I’ll arrange some family or friends to carry me from my chair, posted up on the grass or footpath, to our umbrella on the sand. Whilst my chair is tucked away under a tree, I’m living the dream on the sand, with the chair out of sight, to the naked eye I am another beach goer living life without a spinal cord injury. It becomes difficult to keep the ‘theft of happiness’ out of my mind, the first time I returned to the sand post injury, which was in Carlsbad with my trainers, I felt a pang of grief. I used to walk here without thinking. Now, it takes planning, assistance, and patience.
But I remind myself—I’m here. I’m still doing it, just differently.
Upon arriving at the beach site, Esme & Luna run ahead of Elisa and I, their excitement for what the beach brings them is palpable. They’re my motivation. They don’t see my limitations,; they just see me, their Dad. The water has an irresistible call & they enter the shallows screaming & laughing. They yell a request in an excited tone to join them .
The ability for a parent to guide & support their dependant child in water, for the child to give absolute trust and power to their guardian, to share that moment together; I have always wondered what it felt like. I guess I’ll never know. Or perhaps to float next to them, as they swim past, to share a body of water & swim together? Today, I found out.
The first time I tried swimming after my injury, fear gripped me. To be so bloody vulnerable in still water, I worried about my balance, about control, about needing help. But with the right support—floating devices, assistance from loved ones—I rediscovered the freedom of the water. The feeling & emotion it brings is freedom. I utilise a full faced scuba mask to enable breathing in moving waters, to see the ocean floor!! To put my hands out, to watch & feel the sand from the ocean floor spilling through my fingers, to see the natural gutters on the ocean floor, feeling my body move in sync with the waves, but being at peace.
Today, I let the waves lift & support me. Esme & Elisa hold my hands, Esme hugs me, Luna jumps on me, their excitement contagious. I was weightless, free in a way that’s impossible on land.
I never expected to find myself there again. But there I was—floating, laughing, soaking in every second. Experiencing that salty taste of the water, the odd sensation when the water gets in your eye, the view of land from the perspective of the water. The ocean, once a place of longing and disappointment has become a place of contentment and fulfilment. I’ve never been happier to have sand in every crevasse of my body, it was my ‘trophy’ of the days achievement.
As the sun begins to dip, sitting in some fresh clothes and reflecting on the day, I know this isn’t just a day at the beach that only I can experience, with the support around us, almost anybody with a spinal cord injury can experience something similar. It’s proof that life, no matter how different, is still full of moments worth living.
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Joel Sardi is a proud Forward Ambassador, former Australian Army soldier, and passionate advocate for people living with spinal cord injury. After sustaining a C2 spinal cord injury in 2014, Joel has dedicated himself to raising awareness, challenging perceptions, and inspiring others to embrace life’s possibilities. Through his lived experience, he champions independence, resilience, and making every day matter.
