New hope after tragedy at Balmoral Beach: US student, 23, paralysed just 36 hours into his dream trip

What was meant to be the trip of a lifetime for 23-year-old Max Allen turned into a devastating ordeal just two days after landing in Sydney.

The Arizona native had barely arrived in Australia on a one-year working visa when a quick dip at Balmoral Beach on Sydney’s north shore on September 6 changed everything.  

Wading in waist-deep water with his Aussie mates, Max dove forward, unaware of a hidden sandbar below.

The impact fractured his C5 vertebra, leaving him floating and unable to move.

His friends pulled him to safety as an off-duty lifeguard rushed in to help and within minutes, emergency responders had him rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital where surgeons performed a six-hour lifesaving operation.

Doctors removed the shattered vertebra, grafted bone from his hip, and secured his neck with plates and screws.

The shocking accident left the young American – who had only just graduated from university – completely paralysed below the neck.

Max’s father, James Allen, was sitting on the back patio with wife his Julie in Phoenix when he received the phone call every parent dreads.

‘I got a call on the Friday 5th about 8.30pm from Max himself,’ Mr Allen told Daily Mail.

‘I thought he was calling to check in on us but he said he was getting ready to go into surgery after breaking his neck.

‘I didn’t believe him at first as he can be a bit of a joker. The surgeon then picked up the phone and explained what was happening and that it was a life-changing injury.’

After waiting for Max’s surgery to finish, James booked a flight the next morning, arriving in Sydney just as his son was recovering in ICU.

What followed was every parent’s nightmare with Max sedated and intubated, with no function below his neck.

But against the odds, Max has begun to fight back.

In what his dad called a ‘remarkable’ turnaround, the young backpacker has already achieved his first small victories.

‘Wednesday, the day after I got here, we were celebrating him moving his left thumb,’ he said.

‘And as of today, he has limited mobility in his left arm, in his left hand, and limited strength. He also has pretty good strength in his left foot and left leg.

Although it’s impressive just how far he’s come, his dad added that he’s still got a ‘long, long way to go’.

‘Some people have these injuries and don’t get to where he’s at, if they even get there at all, so it is still very positive.’

He is now out of intensive care and into the acute trauma ward, where he has been undergoing gruelling occupational therapy, learning once again how to sit up, squeeze his fingers, and perform basic tasks most take for granted.

Despite the enormous physical and emotional challenges, his fighting spirit has shone through.

‘His spirits are what you would expect a healthy, athletic 23-year-old man to have, which is, you know, let’s kick a*se and fight this thing,’ James said.

The family’s nightmare has been made easier thanks to the support of Max’s Australian friends and their families, who have been by his bedside daily.

‘He hasn’t had a day where there haven’t been at least one or two friends.

‘When this very first happened, Sophie, the mum of one of his best friends, sat by him as if he were her child and his friends have been here six-to-eight hours a day which is amazing.’

There has also been overwhelming generosity from strangers to help cover travel, rehabilitation, and ongoing care for Max.

This week, the Allens’ also received the news they had been praying for – Max was approved for medical repatriation back to the US.

He will shortly be flown from Sydney to Los Angeles and then onto Denver with two nurses at his side.

From there, Max will be admitted to Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Colorado, one of the world’s leading spinal injury centres, where he is expected to spend six to eight months.

For Max – who had just graduated in urban development at university and had come to Australia to reconnect with his former university roommates to work on a local farm – the road ahead will be long.

But his father is confident his resilience and determination will carry him forward.

‘It was a horrible situation, but it was made a lot easier because of the people here at the hospital, his friends and Sophie,’ James said.

‘I think mostly it’s been positive and upbeat… but I also think there’s a little bit of depression that goes along with this – especially when he sees kids his age playing rugby and things.

‘That’s only natural. But every tiny gain is a win.’