1 Tonight on Sunday ` Brad Smeele, an elite athlete, was at the top of his game. He astounded crowds... I was the first person in the world to land that trick. It was something I've only ever dreamed of. ...with daring tricks. I had a few of the boys there to egg me on, and I managed to land it. But a record-breaking stunt... My hands missed the ramp and i went head first into it. That was a pretty scary moment. ...would change his life forever. I tried to move my arms and legs. I tried to move my arms and legs. You realised what you'd done? And she's one of the world's most influential women. So what's the secret to her success? I have one piece of advice for you ` sleep your way to the top. Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. Champion wakeboarder Brad Smeele had just become the first man ever to achieve an amazing acrobatic trick while flying high above two ramps. But when the 27-year-old Kiwi tried to do it again, it all went terribly wrong. Now he's in a spinal centre in Atlanta. The prognosis is not good, but Brad is hopeful. Here's John Hudson. POIGNANT MUSIC What you are about to see is a wakeboarding trick that has only ever been achieved by Brad Smeele. I was the first person in the world to land that trick. It's something that I've sort of only ever dreamed of. I decided to go for the Indy double tantrum of blind which is where I, you know, grab the board and do a double back flip and then do a backside 180, sort of landing backwards with the rope. But the very next time he tried the trick, his life was changed forever. Straight away I felt like it was wrong. I couldn't slow it down. I just went head first into it. GRIM MUSIC It's six months since Monique Smeele has seen her brother. Back then Brad was a powerful athlete. Hello. Now his broken neck means he can no longer move his limbs. Good to see you. You too. Monique has come all the way from NZ to Atlanta to help his rehabilitation. I know Brad can get through this. He's` He's a strong person. He's so positive and so determined, and if anyone can do it, he can. It's going to be definitely a long hard road. REFLECTIVE MUSIC AT 27, Brad Smeele had spent the past 10 years chasing summers from NZ to America to Europe, living the dream as one of the top wakeboarders in the world. What made him so good? He was a daredevil. He'd do just flips standing, you know. Run up a wall and do a flip. Brad's mum Linda Smeele was once a champion waterskier. Her children, Monique, Brad and Alex, were water babies. But it was brad who pushed the limits. He was always the one that was jumping the highest out of trees or doing flips into swimming pools, or jumping off balustrades and, you know, that athletic sort of thing. And when Brad tried wakeboarding, he was hooked. One summer when we were on holiday, someone brought a wakeboard down, and he put on this wakeboard, and there was no looking back. Never looked at a waterski again. UPBEAT MUSIC In 2005, he was junior world champion. All the way from NZ ` Brad Smeele! And even though he was considered tall for wakeboarding, the awards and records kept coming. UPBEAT MUSIC # This is my kinda music. From the age of 17, he just wanted to go over and get into the wakeboarding scene, go to all the competitions and get up there with the big guns and do the professional circuit. He lived off the smell of an oily rag. Brad used modelling to help fund his wakeboarding, returning home every six months to cash in on his natural good looks. Then he'd follow the sun and his number one passion, wakeboarding. he fell in love with the sport, and that's what he wanted to do. In Florida, brad managed a private wakeboarding centre at Lake Ronix. He even built the ramps the tricks were performed on. MOMENTOUS MUSIC As the sport grew, the jumps got bigger; the tricks more dangerous. This year brad smeele was again pushing wakeboarding boundaries, inventing a new trick. MAN: Yeah, Smeele! How did that feel? It's something that I've only ever dreamed of, and I maybe got a bit cocky, I guess, and had a few of the boys there to egg me on, and I managed to land it. But while the trick astounded his mates, it changed Brad's life forever. A phone call every mother dreads. It was about 3.30 in the morning. Linda and stepdad Gordon were at home in Auckland. It was one of Brad's mates saying that Brad had had a really bad accident and he was being medevac'd by helicopter to the hospital. Brad Smeele is used to long nights on the lake, but tonight he's here in the IC. Paralysed from a bad fall. Attempted triple somersault went wrong. And suddenly your life changes in` in a second. REFLECTIVE MUSIC So what actually went wrong that day? Brad was in Florida trying to repeat his world first trick for the cameras. As I came off the top of the ramp, it sort of felt like maybe I'd cut a little too hard and gone a little too big, so I tried to back out. And then it was a bit too late. My hands missed the ramp and I sort of just went head first into it. My friends that were there said I was laying face down in the water, and they rushed out to get me. GRIM MUSIC I remember them dragging me into the shore and sort of laying there, and that's when I kind of tried to move my arms and legs, sort of got no response. You realised what you'd done. We were both a mess and got on the phone to get the first flight over there. Linda found her son in intensive care, fighting for his life. The doctor said that he had broken his neck, and he was a quadriplegic, straight up. They don't sugar-coat it; the doctors are brutal. His heart stopped. They gave him CPR, and... he came right. That was a pretty scary moment. It was six weeks before Brad could medevac'd with his mum alongside to the Shepherd Center, Atlanta's specialist spinal unit. The neurosurgeon's assessment was he's a quadriplegic. So we said, 'Well, what's his chances of regaining any motor skills?' And he said slight. And I said, '10%?' And he said between 1% and 2%. This is definitely the worst ever accident wakeboarding has ever seen. After the break ` Hi, baby. Mwah! Hi, baby. Mwah! Good to see you. Brad's girlfriend standing by her man. One of the big goals for getting my arms moving is to be able to wrap them round her again. But how realistic is that? They gave you a 1% to 2% chance of recovery. What do you say to that? REFLECTIVE MUSIC On July 6, Brad Smeele was practising his new stunt, taking off from one ramp and landing on another, when he broke his neck. At first Brad was depressed. I went through a couple of dark times, just sort of, I guess, wanting to give up, I guess. It just felt like, you know, it would be better for everyone if I just gave up. The adjustment period for a high-end athlete is more difficult, because so much is tied to what they can do physically. Anna Elmers is one of Shepherd Center's spinal specialists. The grieving process is the same as losing a loved one, and so you go through the same stages. So there's going to be anger, there's denial and then at the very end, there's acceptance. Brad is determined to get moving. He's already operating his wheelchair simply by blowing in a tube. All right. You ready? But this is just the beginning. There you go. And then to the other side. And then to the other side. Go, Brad. And then to the other side. Go, Brad. Yeah. My first goal is getting my arms working. I feel like the nerves are trying to reconnect. But Brad has lost 20 kilos. It's looking better. Is it feeling any better? Trying to get through that pain. I think it's OK. the damage to his spinal cord means unresponsive nerves, wasting muscles. The spinal cord can be looked at like the consistency of a banana and the bones around there are to protect that banana. And so if the bones are broken and they impact on the cord, that's what results in the loss of movement, loss of sensation, and so it's not severed, but it is badly damaged. I've got no doubt in my mind that I'm going to walk again. You know, I've always been really positive about sort of making a full recovery. But his doctors aren't so sure. We never tell anyone here at Shepherd 'you're never going to walk again' or 'this is it', because we simply don't know. They gave you a 1% to 2% chance of recovering. Landing a 1080 was probably a 1% to 2% chance of me doing it versus anyone else in the industry. So I figured, 'Well, if i got a 1% to 2% chance, I'll run with it; I'll take it, you know. But there's one thing his doctors are certain about. Support is going to be very important in helping the adjustment. ALL: Stay strong Brad! Support so far for Brad has been massive. Hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for him at events like this one in Auckland, organised by Monique. A chance to celebrate a pretty amazing person, to rally around him right now. It'll help pay for his rehab. He didn't have insurance. Some people go, 'That's really irresponsible.' He went away with normal travel insurance, which covered him for the first few months. But as an extreme sportsperson in your sport, if you haven't and you're a professional, you're not covered unless you have paid, you know, special insurance. Brad's very fortunate. His stay in the Shepherd Center is being met by the hospital's charity. Got you breathing hard. However, without insurance, staying on in America when he leaves here would cost a fortune. I really just want to work as hard as I can while I'm here. Of course, I'm looking forward to getting home. As they say, there's no place like home. There's also a good reason why Brad might want to stay as long as he can. Hi. I made it. Talor Reazin ` Brad's girlfriend. Hi, baby. Hi, baby. Good to see you. She's just flown in from Oklahoma. This is my sister. This is my sister. BOTH: Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. So what is it about this Kiwi wakeboarder? > Well, his big heart. But that accent. Oh, it's the accent maybe. There's hope for us yet. That's what I heard first. I thought, 'Oh, he's a cutie.' And then you get to know him, and he's as sweet as pie. Brad and Talor have known each other for several years. Him being so strong helps me stay strong, but I'm a very emotional person, so I have cried my tears. And how do you help him stay strong? I hope I just bring him lots of laughs and love. And cuddles. And cuddles and kisses and... (GIGGLES) Reaching from high to low. Brad's progress is slow, but it is progress. He's really positive and joking, and he gets tired, and you can tell that it's hard on him. Last night was the first night that he didn't have a temperature over 100 since his accident. Once I do this, suction cart does away, bag goes away, and you're free to go anywhere in the hospital. for Brad this is a major advance. The trach tube used to help ventilate his lungs... And... magic! And... magic! Out. It's gone. ...is finally out. You OK? He's now free to wander outside. When i had the trach in, I had to have a nurse with me at all times, and she'd drag around this cart which had, like, a suction machine. Now it's good. You know, me and Monique and Johnny can come down and kick it and get out in the sun. And there's more good news. He can see you right now. Our boy, Brad Smeele ` winner of trick of the year. Our boy! Ironically its the trick that put him in hospital that's won him one of wakeboarding's top awards. Brad's brother Alex and his mate Jeff Weatherall have gone to Florida to accept it. I want you guys all to get out of your seats, stand up and give one big hoorah for B-rad. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Just to see people so pumped to have me win that award and people saying it was the craziest trick that's ever been done on the wakeboard and things like that was just, you know, super gratifying. Brad is a legend in the wakeboarding world. He's the guy who did the best trick then had the worst accident. Even so, he's still counting his blessings. I ask him every day what he's thankful for. What are you thankful for today? Of course Talor arriving. That's the biggest one. But obviously it's the last day of my sister and Johnny being here too, so, you know, obviously thankful for them being here for the week and for going outside and getting some fresh air and some sun. But where there's hope, brad will keep on striving. It's definitely a goal of mine to get back up on a wakeboard. REFLECTIVE MUSIC OK, so, just this afternoon Brad's family updated us with news that Brad has regained some small movement in his biceps and in one thumb. They're excited but remain cautious. So we'll keep you updated. And his family hopes to bring him home in October. Up next ` she's one of Time Magazine's most influential people. A media queen, multi-millionaire and a worrier, just like the rest of us. I have this voice in my head that I call 'the obnoxious roommate living in my head' that through the years, you know, would doubt, worry, absolutely. Welcome back. How to succeed? Sleep your way to the top. That's the advice from one of Time Magazine's most influential people. Tonight we speak to Arianna Huffington and chart her remarkable rise from poverty to founding one of the world's biggest news sites, The Huffington Post. Here's Susan Wood. Wherever she goes, Arianna Huffington knows how to make an entrance. Celebrity talk-show guest,... I have one piece of advice for you ` sleep your way to the top. LAUGHTER ...political speaker on the world stage... and Friday night with us in downtown Auckland. Arianna, hello. Now, you believe in sleeping your way to the top. How do you do that? Sleep is actually a miracle drug. We need to just change our thinking around sleep, and yet so much of our culture, especially our business culture, is around congratulating people for working 24-7. It's really wearing sleep depravation like a badge of honour, especially among men. A lot of people still have to work extremely hard, maybe have to work those sort of extra hours. Well, actually, that's what I'm trying to say, that wherever you are in life ` whether you've lost your job, or trying to make ends meet ` you need to take care of yourself, because that's where your resilience comes from. Sleep evangelist, author, multi-millionaire and one of Time Magazine's most influential people. A stark contrast to Arianna's childhood, growing up in a one-room apartment in Athens, a modest life with her mother and sister. From very humble beginnings, what was it about that small girl in`? From very humble beginnings, what was it about that small girl in`? I was very tall from the beginning. All right, a tall girl. All right, a tall girl. BOTH LAUGH What was it about that tall girl who grew into the success she is today, who grew into you? A lot of it had to do with my mum, who had no money, but she always made us feel that we were bigger than our circumstances and that we should follow our dreams, and if we fail she wouldn't love us any less. Arianna left Greece for Cambridge University, learnt English, studied economics. Then a love affair which ended badly and set her on her path to the US. Everything that happened to me, my children, my books, the Huffington Post, being here in front of you, happened because a man would not marry me. Then she did marry Michael Huffington ` rich and Republican. So too at the time was Arianna. Politics ` why did you change your views so radically? Uh, not really so radically. I've always been, you know pro-choice, pro gun control, pro gay rights. I think the shift is` is in my understanding of the role of government. But not many go from Republican to Democrat, do they? Well, the Republican Party has changed a lot. When I was a Republican, it was a very different Republican Party. And when I saw that really to address any of the social problems we were facing, we do need the real power of government appropriations. That was when the shift happened for me. In 2005, she launched the Huffington Post. It quickly became one of the world's most powerful online news sites. I was pretty sure that Huff Post was the right thing at the right time, you know, a hybrid ` a combination of a journalistic enterprise and a platform where tens of thousands of people could express their views, tell their stories. And it was started very humbly with five people. Huffington Post... I think 11 countries now? Yes. Yes. How many million...? Yes. How many million...? 97 million UVs. That's unique visitors a month. Three years ago The Huff Post sold for more than $350 million, but Arianna remains editor-in-chief. I love our global expansion. I love the fact that we can have a global newsroom. And we're gonna be launching in India in November. And then we hope in your Autumn to be launching in Australia. Great, we'll get it here soon, NZ? Great, we'll get it here soon, NZ? Absolutely. You've been here tonight working the room, and i'm hearing from everybody I've spoken to just how charming you are, how engaged you are. Do you genuinely enjoy getting out, coming to a country like NZ, meeting new people? Oh, I think it's amazing coming into a country that you don't know and having the opportunity to meet so many interesting people all together at once in` in one night. It's just a great opportunity. And despite her poise, charm and power, Arianna Huffington remains very real. < Do you doubt? Of course, I have this voice in my head that I call 'the obnoxious roommate living in my head' that through the years, you know, would doubt, worry, absolutely. But I've learnt to distinguish, you know, that voice from the truth. And Arianna Huffington was in the country to speak at an ASB-sponsored event. Well, that's our show for tonight. Do join us on Facebook and Twitter, Sunday TVNZ. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next week. Nga mihi nui, hei kona.