Charlotte said goodbye to her fiancé for the day. Hours later, she received a devastating call.

June 18, 2024 started like any other day for Charlotte Gordon and her fiancé, Johnny Konings. Johnny made his morning coffee and left for work for the day, while Charlotte settled in to work from home.

A change of plans left Johnny with unexpected free time, so he grabbed his surfboard and headed to D Bar, his favourite Gold Coast surf break. He had surfed it countless times before. But this time, on his first wave of the day, everything changed.

"He took off too deep and when he fell he got sucked 'over the falls' driving his back directly onto a sand bank which broke two ribs, his T10, dislocated his T11 and bent his spinal cord, so he was instantly experiencing paralysis from his waist down," Charlotte told Mamamia.

In an instant, life as they knew it was shattered. The couple had been preparing to return home to New Zealand to celebrate their engagement. Instead, they found themselves in a hospital ward, facing an unthinkable reality: wondering if Johnny would ever walk again.

Watch: Charlotte and Johnny document their recovery journey. Post continues below.

A life-altering phone call.

Charlotte will never forget the moment her phone rang. Johnny's name flashed on the screen. But when she answered, it wasn't his voice on the other end.

Johnny had been in an accident. He couldn't feel his legs.

The words hit like a tidal wave.

Panic could have taken over. Instead, Charlotte chose gratitude. Grateful that surfers rushed to his aid. Grateful the rough waters had stilled as they carried him to shore. Grateful he was alive.

"At the time, he was in the best hands possible," she said.

Johnny spent six weeks in the orthopaedic ward before moving to the spinal unit for six months. Their new reality had begun.

Johnny and Charlotte. Image: Instagram/charlieegordon.

A journey of small wins.

"Every day looked different," Charlotte recalled.

"We tried to fill them with lots of good things and things for him to focus on. Our journey has very much been believing in getting one per cent better every day. The little things they compound into the big things. We celebrated all progress — emotionally, mentally, physically — for both of us."

From the beginning, they knew the urgency of recovery.

"With this injury, you're in a race against the clock," Charlotte explained.

"We didn't have the luxury of sitting in our grief for too long. We couldn't control the cards we'd been dealt. We cried most days, but we also decided we were going to make the best of the situation."

Their emotions were complex — heartbreak coexisting with profound gratitude.

"You can be completely heartbroken and have a lot of grief, and you can also feel so grateful for Johnny being alive," Charlotte said.

"Being based out of a hospital, and particularly a spinal unit, gives you a lot of perspective. We just really held on to that and focused on what we could control because 98 per cent of our day was very much outside of our control."

Johnny learning to walk again in hospital. Image: GoFundMe.

Adjusting to post-hospital life.

When Johnny was discharged in December, their next challenge began — adapting to a new rhythm. Charlotte became Johnny's primary carer while balancing work. It's something they're still figuring out.

Their days are now filled with intensive rehab — red light therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It's a full-time commitment, and they're still figuring it out.

"It's massively changed the dynamic of our relationship in this season of life," Charlotte reflected. "We've had to do a lot of inner work. There's trauma to unpack, and it's pushed us to have difficult conversations. We joke that this experience has fast-tracked our relationship by 20 years. But we've never been stronger or closer."

Their mentality is simple: leave no stone unturned.

"Our intention very much for the next 18 months is to do everything we possibly can to give Johnny's body and his beautiful legs the best possible outcome that that we can," Charlotte said.

"There are no guarantees in life at all. We know that better than anybody that life can just absolutely change in an instant.

"We want to know that we've done everything that we can to allow for an outcome that's the best that we could have hoped for."

@charlottee.gordon 6 months from the day of the accident, 6 months in hospital and officially discharged 🤍 Biggest 6 months of our lives and we’re only just getting started. Big journey ahead of us, but very ready for the next stage of rehab, healing and life Proud of you, and proud of us @Johnny Konings #spinalcordinjuryrecovery #spinalcordinjury ♬ original sound - charlotte gordon.

Reclaiming a sacred space.

One of Johnny's biggest milestones came just after the New Year — his first time back in the ocean since the accident.

"The ocean was very much our happy place," Charlotte said.

"There's been a lot of healing done around the relationship with the ocean when you've had an accident in a space that used to be your safe place."

Johnny's return to the water was better than they ever imagined.

In a full-circle moment, Johnny recently got back on a surfboard for the first time since his injury. Now, he's preparing to compete in a parasurfing competition in March.

"When he first got in the pool and went underwater, he had quite a traumatic response. So to be in the ocean and to have been a really great experience for your first time back on a board was amazing," Charlotte said.

Johnny and Charlotte plan to leave no stone unturned in his recovery. Image: GoFundMe.

'Enjoy your legs.'

Through it all, Johnny has a simple yet powerful message: "Enjoy your legs."

Charlotte echoes this sentiment.

"Go for a walk. Be grateful for what you have," she said. "Celebrate yourself and celebrate all the little things because they compound into the big things.

"When something like this happens, you really appreciate all the moments like a standing up hug or just walking hand-in-hand with your partner, even being at eye level — really little things that I think we take for granted… Appreciate what your body does for you."

Their biggest takeaway?

"Life really can change in an instant... All we have is the present. So enjoy the present. Enjoy the version of you that you are right now because you just don't don't know what's around the corner."

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Johnny's road to recovery. You can find it here.

Feature image: Supplied.