Before his accident, Jordan Tito was a typical Kiwi – he loved playing sport and being outdoors.

But this changed in 2007, when aged 19 he had a drink-driving accident in the early hours of June 30.

Jordan Tito, 26, ahead of the NZ Wheelchair Rugby Bash Tournament this weekend. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

'I was indulging in a party and had no recollection of what happened until I woke up in ICU.”

After being discharged from hospital in 2008, Jordan was encouraged by Neil Cudby, an active member of the New Zealand Wheelchair Rugby Association, to try the sport.

Jordan represented the Bay of Plenty in the fifth annual NZ Wheelchair Rugby Bash Tournament at ASB Arena at ASB BayPark today.

Jordan loves the game and finds it's a great way to keep fit.

'It's good cardio for me. It's just like playing bumper cars.”

Although wheelchair rugby is a fun way to build strength for Jordan, he says the journey to recovery wasn't easy.

'Adapting to normal day-to-day life was hard. It's an ongoing journey. It's a difficult thing to deal with.

'Nurses and doctors are meant to be specialists to help out but it's only a general guideline of what they know.

'It's just like teaching someone how to cook when they don't know how to cook themselves. Unless you know, you don't actually know.”

Jordan says people in the community are willing to lend a hand but he'd like to fully recover from his injury.

'People in the community are always willing to help – if I fall over, people will grab me before I hit the ground. But it takes my independence away.”

Wheelchair rugby is a growing sport, which is played in an indoor basketball court with four players in each team.

Special wheelchairs are required, which are lowered to the ground, with angled wheels to enable sharp turns.

Each player is graded depending on their level of function by the NZWRA. This decides what level the player will be in or they will be given a number. The number must not exceed eight in a team.