Mum moves into MIQ to care for injured daughter

National downhill mountainbike champion Jess Blewitt faced a long journey back to New Zealand after she sustained serious injuries in a big crash at the final World Cup race of the year in the United States last month.

She now faces an even longer journey back to elite level racing after breaking multiple bones, including the femur in her right leg.

Blewitt was riding at approximately 50km/h when she lost control of her mountainbike and flipped over the handlebars into the dirt on the fastest section of the course during the World Cup event in Snowshoe.

The 19-year-old’s long list of injuries included a broken leg, broken collarbone, broken wrist, broken rib and multiple fractures to her spine. She said her leg could take between nine and 12 months to fully heal.

‘‘I did a fairly decent job,’’ Blewitt said. ‘‘My whole body slammed into

the face of a dirty pile pretty much, and the whole impact of that and flipping over and hitting the ground again did all that damage, and the

speed I was going.’’

Blewitt spent two weeks in a hospital in the US before being transferred to one in Christchurch on the proviso that she would be provided with the intensive care she needed to begin her lengthy rehabilitation.

Instead, after a few days in hospital and some virtual sessions with a physiotherapist standing behind the door, she was sent to a managed isolation and quarantine facility with the rest of the overseas returnees.

‘‘The whole system let me down,’’ she said. ‘‘It was honestly a really s… time so I was kind of in a hurry to get into a MIQ hotel, so mum has joined me and she’s helping me do the rehab.’’

That’s right. Blewitt’s mum got an exemption to join her in managed isolation and quarantine so she could act as her carer, but she has to abide by the same rules as the rest of the overseas returnees.

According to a MIQ spokesperson, 73 people have been granted an exemption to join someone in MIQ since 14 July 2020. The carer is required to follow all the requirements of MIQ during their two-week stay.

‘‘She’s loving it already. Not,’’ Blewitt said. ‘‘But nah, it was really nice to see mum after five months and now she’s joined me in here.

‘‘She had a Covid test before she came to see me in the hospital which was negative and I’ve had all my negative tests, but she needed another Covid test when she came into MIQ with me, and she still hasn’t got it back, so she’s not allowed outside, but she’s come from the community.

‘‘The whole MIQ system is a bit stupid. It’s weird.’’

Blewitt said the long journey back to New Zealand after the crash had been a ‘‘weird’’ experience too.

‘‘I already had a MIQ spot booked for the 26th of September but that went by when I was in my first week in hospital, so I ended up going through the Air Ambulance,’’ she explained.

‘‘They picked me up from my hospital in America, drove me to the airport and got into pretty much a private jet, flew six hours to LA, where I then flew business class with the New Zealand Air Ambulance people on Air New Zealand.

‘‘I arrived in Auckland and it was the first time I’ve ever exited from the side door on like what they put the cargo on. I had the border guys come onto the plane and check my bags. It was a really weird experience.

‘‘I then got on an ambulance outside the plane on the tarmac and got driven to another Air Ambulance and then flew to Christchurch and got taken to hospital. It was a really long experience.’’

Prior to her crash, the former downhill skier had experienced a breakthrough debut season as an elite mountainbike rider, highlighted by an eighth place finish at the World Championships in Italy in August.

The Queenstown-based Blewitt had originally hoped to be in a position to target podium finishes next year but has had to lower her expectations following the crash for what will now be her ‘‘comeback year’’.

‘‘I want to be realistic about when I’ll return and for me I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get back overseas at the end of May,’’ Blewitt said.

‘‘I’ve been told it’s a three to six months rehab and then nine to 12 months before the femur is healed fully, but everyone is different so we’ll be working really hard to get back on the bike.’’

‘‘I arrived in Auckland and it was the first time I’ve ever exited from the side door on like what they put the cargo on.’’ Jess Blewitt, right