Of course, Kende needs help and has an “amazing” full-time helper named Hannah, and a black Labrador Retriever assistance dog named Gumnut, who grabs his phone if he drops it from his wheelchair and who can open doors.

Kende has been working so hard lately on a case centred around money-laundering and counterterrorism finance, he hasn’t had much time to sit back and think too deeply. But now that the long working days are finally over after a few months of grinding through with little sleep, Kende has had some time to reflect on a certain anniversary.

Ten years ago in August, Kende was instantly paralysed while playing rugby for Hong Kong at the 2010 Asian Junior Championship. Five minutes into a match in Bangkok, an opponent fell onto his neck. Now a decade on through a host of ups and downs, legal battles and obstacles overcome, he said reflection has brought a sense of peace and understanding.

“At the time (right after the accident) you’re not thinking about 10 years, you’re just thinking about what’s going to happen the next day,” said Kende. “If you asked me where I thought I would be in 10 years, I don’t think I would say that I was as happy and as content that I would be. Life is extremely good, I don’t really have anything to complain about.”

Friends of injured rugby player complete race in wheelchairs

Kende did reflect on one of the major turning points after his accident, leaving Hong Kong, where he was born and raised, and heading to Australia where his parents are from. Enrolling at the University of Sydney’s Business School two years after his injury, Kende said he might have jumped the gun, but in looking back, maybe diving into the deep end was just what he needed.

“In hindsight, it was a good way to force myself into an uncomfortable situation and navigate university. Two years after a spinal injury is still pretty intense. It still felt relatively recent and raw, so one of my coping mechanisms was just going straight to uni and that was kind of my outlet in a lot of ways, a way to manage things.”

Kende’s mother, Jennifer Bovard, who still does work advocating and bringing awareness to spinal cord injuries, lived with her son for six months to help him transition. Bovard said it became clear after a while that school was a great remedy, and her son was ready for her to head back to Hong Kong and let him be a normal student.

“It was a great leveller and benchmark,” said Bovard. “It was a really big turnaround for him … and the way his friends and family, in Hong Kong and Sydney, rallied and came together around him, it was just truly amazing, a remarkable sight.”

It was during his commerce studies that Kende said he fell in love with law, and the “analytical” side of studies. Once he entered law school in 2015, he found his injury was no longer as impactful on his life, his emotions or philosophical outlook. Kende said being stuck studying all day in a chair for demanding classes felt like he was now on the same level as his classmates, and not hampered by his disability.

No looking back for Kende

“One thing about law school is you kind of have this warped impression that everybody is this bloody absolute genius,” he said. “And you’re just somehow behind the eight ball, but you don’t really know where you stand until the first semester is over and you get your results back. And I really struggled with that, just having no idea where you sit relatively speaking.”

Kende got his grades back, “slightly above average” as he describes them, and from that moment he was much more comfortable trusting himself and his capabilities.

Life in Sydney is pretty idyllic, he said, given the city is incredibly wheelchair friendly (a far cry from Hong Kong’s cramped layout and ageing infrastructure), and he has a great network of mates who he regularly sees, shares pints with and watches rugby alongside. Three days a week he heads to Enable Exercise where he works with a specific team trained to help people with disabilities.

He said a big part of it is maintaining a level of fitness that allows him to overcome daily obstacles that most people take for granted.

“Rolling is a great exercise for me, you appreciate the little things, there’s little small exercises I do that help tremendously in my day-to-day life. If I get stuck on my side in the bed, just being able to roll back is a big task, so helping with those functional exercises is great for me.”

When the coronavirus descended on Australia earlier this year, Kende was quite nervous at the beginning. Most people with spinal cord injuries tend to have weakened lung capacity, said Kende, so the first few weeks he made sure everyone who visited him had washed their hands and followed proper protocols.

“Initially, it scared the s*** out of me. I just require some extra attention if I go to the hospital to begin with, and I wouldn’t be able to handle it as well as the average punter.”

Kende said Sydney is home, for now, but Hong Kong remains deep in his heart. He’s not looking too far ahead, rather enjoying the journey and life as a fast-paced lawyer in Australia’s biggest city.

He hopes to get some thoughts down on paper soon, explaining that he tends to express himself best through the written word.

He’ll write it for himself, and decide if he wants to share it, a way to summarise the past 10 years of his life. But for now, it’s not a glaring priority, as his life is as busy as it is fulfilling

“I guess that is my main takeaway from the whole bit: it has been an interesting 10 years, and many more to come.”