On The Up: Napier boy with cerebral palsy takes on 5000-stair challenge for disabled athletes
Step by step, 9-year-old Rocco Green is climbing towards a 5000-stair goal, just over two years after taking his first independent steps.
The Napier boy, who was born prematurely at 32 weeks and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 16 months, is tackling thousands of stairs to raise money for Disability Sport and Recreation Hawke’s Bay, already surpassing his $2000 fundraising target.
Rocco had completed 3749 stairs when Hawke’s Bay Today caught up with him last Friday, adding another 64 during the visit.
He hopes to complete the challenge over five weeks, finishing on Saturday at McLean Park.
The fundraising idea came from Rocco, while his physiotherapist Karen Busch helped turn it into the 5000-stair challenge.
“I said, ‘yeah, let’s do it’,” Rocco said.
“I just thought it would be a good cause to raise money.”
Rocco underwent selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery in the United States in May 2024 before taking his first independent steps without a walking frame.
His mum Ashlee Green said climbing stairs remained significantly more difficult for him than for most children.
“He can walk unassisted for short distances, but going upstairs is quite a challenge for him,” she said.
“They thought 5000 was quite a big goal, but still achievable for him, and something that he had never done before.”
Rocco has been clocking up stairs across Hawke’s Bay and further afield, including at Pettigrew Green Arena, in Ahuriri and during a recent trip to Rotorua.
Some sessions have involved hundreds of stairs. His biggest effort so far was about 1100 in one go.
Asked how his legs felt afterwards, Rocco laughed.
“Broken. It felt like jelly,” he said.
Before his surgery, Rocco progressed from a wheelchair to crutches and then walking aids.
Today, he can ride an adapted bike, play football and basketball, take part in a non-contact rugby programme, and participate in school activities with more independence.
Ashlee said his daily routine still involved stretching morning and night and physiotherapy twice a week to maintain his mobility.
Rocco chose Disability Sport and Recreation Hawke’s Bay as he participates in its programmes, including basketball and skateboarding, and hopes to attend the Halberg Games in Auckland next year.
Disability Sport and Recreation Hawke’s Bay community sport co-ordinator Brandon Clark said donations raised by Rocco would assist with costs for Hawke’s Bay athletes attending the 2027 Halberg Games and future Disability Sport & Recreation Hawke’s Bay events and programmes.
“With his hard work, we hope to create more active opportunities for athletes with disabilities in Hawke’s Bay,” Clark said.
“His determination for self-improvement is a great motivation for others in our disability community to try to improve ourselves a little more.”
Clark said this was Rocco’s biggest challenge to date, but he believed it wouldn’t be his last.
“Rocco is also growing up and finding his voice supporting this community and those around him,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing what he is going to do next.”