The new year is looking promising for one Palmerston North teen, who is looking forward to moving into a custom-built flat at his family home more than a year after fracturing his neck in a rugby ruck.

After suffering a serious spinal injury in May 2014, Nathanael “Nat” Manville has faced many challenges.

After undergoing major surgery and an intensive rehabilitation programme in Canterbury, the 19-year-old returned to Palmerston North in November last year, but has had to spend his nights at a motel because of a lack of access at his family home.

The new year is expected to give the teen a space of his own though. Work has begun on a unit at the rear of the family’s property for him to move into.

Getting to this stage had taken longer than expected. The family looked at other options, which included moving Nat Manville into a different home. But, the family has always been a tight unit and wanted to stay together.

His father and mother, Darrell and Brenda Manville, were thrilled their son would be returning home shortly. The build is expected to be complete by February.

“I can’t wait. It’s been a long 19 months since his accident,” Brenda Manville said.

Nat’s team, Awatapu College’s first XV, were being beaten by Tararua College’s first XV in a secondary school premier 1-2 grading match in Pahiatua on the day of the accident.

[Nat Fracture] It was about 15 minutes into the game and Nat went to clear a ruck. He was one of the first to the breakdown, had gone to get the ball and was pulled through the ruck. He landed awkwardly with his arms tied up in another player who was underneath him.

His dad was watching the match and said when play moved on but Nat didn’t, he knew something was wrong.

Nat had fractured his fifth cervical vertebrae, known as C5, and was flown to Palmerston North Hospital. He was then transferred to Christchurch Hospital and spent a month in the intensive care unit before being moved to a Burwood Hospital’s spinal unit, where he spent seven months.

An injury at or above C5 could have left the teen as a quadriplegic, but the fracture was “incomplete” and the bone wasn’t entirely broken.

Nat Manville underwent a major surgery to have bone grafted from his hip and used in the fracture, and plates inserted at the fourth and sixth cervical vertebrae.

Since then, he’s regained strength in his upper body and arms, and is able to move himself around in a manual wheelchair – a milestone that came as a surprisebecause he was expected to be in a powered chair.

He continues to make progress thanks to an intensive rehabilitation programme that includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, gym sessions and speech-language work.

Brenda Manville said at times it has been “exhausting”.

“When you don’t want to leave, and we have had nights like that, when he has held tight on his wheels.”

The new unit will allow her son to have gain independence as his condition improves.

As well as returning home, the teen is also working towards being able to drive again. His ride will be a van modified to allow him to drive using his arms and a voice controlled system.

But first, he has to build up the muscles in his arms.

This year he will be “mainly focusing on rehab and that and a bit of work experience or something”, Nat Manville said.