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A Mindarie teen paralysed in a tragic accident has found new hope through someone who's walked the same path.
Six weeks after the accident at a Perth beach, Matthew Haylett is making a slow but steady recovery, confined to a hospital bed and unable to walk.
Today, Thomas Davison gave him a glimpse of what could be.
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Haylett was left in a critical condition after diving into the water at Mullaloo beach, unaware there was a sandbank.
Now out of intensive care, the 17-year-old is at Fiona Stanley's State Rehabilitation Centre and learning to move again.
"He's pushing through no matter what," Haylett's mum Megan Larson told 9News.
"He's still convinced he's gonna walk out of here in six months."
Today he met Davison, who's suffered the same fate and given him what he needs most – hope.
"That's the most I've seen Matthew really laugh and interact," Larson said.
Davison broke his spine plunging into a sandbank at Mandurah's Town Beach in 2023.
The incident paralysed him from the neck down.
"Talking to people in a similar situation to me when I had my accident really helped boost my confidence and give me that hope that I needed," Davison told 9News.
Two years on from his own accident, the 17-year-old has defied the odds and is now learning to drive.
"I had one goal for myself and that was just to get out of that wheelchair. I've succeeded [with] that now," Davison said.
It's a goal Haylett also wants to reach.
Haylett will stay at Fiona Stanley Hospital for at least the next six months.
After that, his family are unsure where they'll live, as their current rental in Mindarie isn't wheelchair friendly.
"We have to find a new home because my son needs to come home, where he can live a semi-independent or functional life," Larson said.
A fundraiser has been set up to help Haylett get back on his feet.
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