Growing up, Cody dreamed the dream of many Kiwi boys: to represent his country in rugby. But in 2011, aged 15, his neck was broken in a tackle playing for Shirley Boys’ High in Christchurch. As he was loaded into the ambulance, he insisted on keeping his boots on – he'd be back, after all. And when doctors told him he’d never walk again, he brushed it off. Denial soon gave way to determination to make the best of his situation. 

A year after his injury he got into wheelchair rugby and a few years later he’d fulfilled that childhood dream in a way he never imagined, playing for the Wheel Blacks and ultimately becoming captain. In 2021 the team made it to the Tokyo Paralympics. It was a huge year for Cody – just four weeks after the Games he got married, and he and wife Jess learned they were expecting a baby, a ‘brother’ to bulldogs Lorenzo and Lyla. It marked quite the turnaround at Cody’s house, which for a few years was party central for him and his flatmates. Cody puts his trademark charisma to good use in his work as social media manager for Christchurch company Melrose Kiwi Concept Wheelchairs. 

He counts himself lucky to have incredible people in his corner. The Rugby Foundation was there for his family from day dot, for anything big or small, and without its help he couldn’t have pursued his dreams as an athlete.