Aaron Fleming was ready to give up on life until a special promise to himself sparked a miraculous turnaround.
Growing up in Taupo, Aaron was the typical Kiwi kid who loved his sport and was constantly on the go. He even represented Waikato in gymnastics.
Every year he would watch on as Ironman New Zealand came to his hometown, and even volunteered at the event.
Then at the age of 16 Aaron’s life took a dramatic turn when his right lung spontaneously collapsed and he was rushed to hospital. By the end of January 2000 his lung had collapsed a further two times and he was forced to undergo surgery.
The painful surgery conducted at Waikato Hospital carried a 99 percent success rate – but it failed.
"It was pretty demoralising to think that I was the one percent,” he says.
"The hardest bit was afterwards because I couldn’t really do anything – I couldn’t walk to school, I couldn’t even carry a bag on my back. It was quite hard for a long time because I had been such an active kid.”
Five months later Aaron was back in surgery as his condition continued to deteriorate and surgeons told him the heart-breaking news that he would not be able to physically exert himself ever again.
Several further surgeries down the track and Aaron had developed an addiction to pain killers, which played havoc with his body and drove him to a state of chronic depression.
"My mum found me on the kitchen floor at about 3am one night after I’d just been discharged from hospital.
"I was ready to give it all up. I had an addiction to my painkillers and I wasn’t in a good space. My body was trembling, I was hallucinating, it was really quite scary.
"As a 16-year-old I’d just had a guts and full I wanted to find a black hole and disappear. That was never me and it gave me a fright to think I wanted to throw it all away.”
Aaron spent the next four years trying to get his life back on track and despite the battle scars, he was finally living a relatively pain-free lifestyle. At that point he decided it was time to make a big change.
He had watched the Kona Ironman on TV and dreamed of one day being physically able to take part.
So with severe physical limitations and lasting mental anguish Aaron laid out the challenge to complete a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run at the 2006 edition of Ironman New Zealand.
"After being told I couldn’t be active I just felt this urge to give it a go. I wanted to get out there and make a difference as well to young kids who don’t have the opportunity to make a recovery like I have.”
His training started from scratch and after years of inactivity he couldn’t swim, bike or run.
But Aaron was determined to follow through and found motivation from a special cause in Breath4CF, who help make a difference to young Kiwis with lung problems.
"I got into triathlon because of the cause really, it was my goal. I always told myself I’d only do one but I kept going and got addicted.
"At first the training was hard, it was really hard. I was so scared that I was going to push myself too hard. Even now I get pain when I push myself too hard. I have a limit, and it’s not very high but I have to read my body.”
Wild weather cancelled over half the Ironman race in 2006, so one year later Aaron was back to complete his first ever full distance race. He crossed the finish line in a time of 15 hours and 45 minutes.
He then set the goal of representing New Zealand at Ironman USA in July that year. But a cycling accident while training in Wellington saw him knocked unconscious along with a fractured elbow and severe whiplash.
Most would have called it quits at that point but with just three months until the race and despite not being able to train, Aaron decided he was still going to compete in the USA.
The race did not go to plan with Aaron suffering from mechanical failure on the bike and nutritional problems which should have seen him pulled off the course. He had to dig the deepest he has ever had to dig.
Dizzy, nauseous and weak, Aaron kept putting one foot in front of the other and kept telling himself that he could do it. It was a gutsy effort, and with just 12 minutes before cut-off he crossed the finish line to complete the longest day in his life and was immediately rushed into an ambulance and treated for severe dehydration.
"In so many events I’ve come last or near the back of the pack and it just doesn’t faze me at all. The fact that I’m out there doing it and cross the finish line is what’s important to me.
"Lots of other people have got into triathlon now because they’ve seen me or someone else do it and it’s really cool. It’s such a huge community, it’s like a family and that is so awesome to be a part of.”
The ultimate honour came in 2008 when Aaron was asked to be New Zealand’s sole representative to hold the Olympic torch on its way to Beijing.
"To be the only Kiwi to carry that was pretty humbling actually. When I got the phone call to say I’d been chosen it was completely out of the blue.
"What an amazing experience that was, I got to meet so many cool people. When that torch is on fire and you’re holding it, it feels like the whole world is in your hands at that moment.”
Now 27, Aaron is still living the lifestyle of a triathlete and will gear up for the Kinloch leg of the Contact Tri Series as a warm up to Ironman New Zealand in March.
Aaron now does a lot of public speaking, and visits schools and businesses to tell his story which is based around motivation and setting goals.
Aaron’s awe-inspiring story just goes to show that if you want something badly enough, nothing in the world can stop you.
