Once upon a time 38-year-old Mii Pepe would just sit at home getting stressed, drinking and smoking heavily, relying on his mates to get him around.

Today he is preparing to head to Korea as part of the Wheelblacks to qualify for the Para-Olympics in London two weeks after the Olympics.

Pepe believes he is the first Cook Islander to be selected into the Wheelblacks – New Zealand’s top wheelchair basketball team.

But just a few years ago – things were looking grim for Pepe.

Pepe broke his spinal cord while out koura hunting in Ruatonga in 1995 as an active 21-year-old lad from Avatiu.

Unable to use his legs, life became a struggle for the young man who travelled between Rarotonga, New Zealand and Australia seeking treatment and rehabilitation services.

Through sheer determination he managed to gain some use of his legs again with the aid of crutches but still life was a struggle with stress building from the many days and months of sitting at home with nothing to do.

While still living in Rarotonga he got into paddling and was quite successful but due to the lack of a rehabilitation centre on the island he didn’t receive the help he really needed.

Finally he settled in New Zealand and on one of his regular visits to the Auckland spinal unit – he heard noises coming from a gym at the complex.

His curiosity lead him to a gym where friends where playing wheelchair basketball and it was then he decided he’d give it a go.

That was three years ago and over that time he has turned his life around.

”I don’t drink anymore, I kicked the smokes and the other stuff and my mind is clear now,“ says a healthy and fit looking Pepe.

”It has really changed my attitude towards life.“

During one of his regular Friday night wheelchair matches Pepe was spotted by the coach of the Wheelblacks, the New Zealand wheelchair basketball team.

Since then he has been full on training with the team and will soon pack his bags for Korea where he and his team will play to qualify for the Para-Olympics.

His fleeting visit home was out of respect for his late friend and well known tattooist Boye Nicholas and to attend the unveiling of Nicholas’s headstone.

It was during catch up conversations with friends that the humble athlete shared his story about being selected into the Wheelblacks.

His friends were ecstatic for him but Pepe remains humble about his achievement.

To others that are in a similar situation as he is for whatever reason – Pepe says get out of the house and get into sports.

”It’s all in the mind – you just have to get out there.“