Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand all‑rounder, has been through a series of very serious health issues since 2021, but he is still alive and has been focusing on rehabilitation and recovery.

What happened to Chris Cairns?

  • In August 2021, Cairns suffered a Type A aortic dissection , a life‑threatening tear in the main artery of the body, while in Canberra.
  • He underwent emergency heart surgery in Sydney, was placed on life support, and later suffered a spinal stroke , which left his legs paralysed.
  • After multiple operations, he was taken off life support and was able to communicate with his family, though doctors described his condition as “serious but stable.”

His recovery and current condition

  • Cairns has spoken about a long rehabilitation journey at a specialist spinal hospital and then at University of Canberra Hospital, working on small, incremental gains in mobility and independence.
  • Public updates have shown him using a wheelchair, doing rehab, and talking about focusing on “small gains” and getting up each day to keep going.
  • He has described the experience as a brutal period, both physically and mentally, but has emphasised mindset and choice in how he responds to the challenges.

More recent setbacks

  • After the original aortic dissection and spinal stroke, he also faced other serious medical issues, including bowel cancer and further heart problems.
  • In 2024, reports from New Zealand media said he had suffered another, “minor” heart attack, which he mentioned himself on social media, saying he needed some rest and then would get “back into life again.”

Legal and public background

  • Before these health problems, Cairns had been in the news over match‑fixing allegations and a high‑profile perjury trial in the UK, where he was acquitted in 2015 after saying he had been through “hell” in the preceding years.
  • Despite that turbulent period, his more recent public profile has largely centred on his health battles and his determination to keep going rather than on cricket or legal issues.

TL;DR: Chris Cairns suffered a major heart emergency (aortic dissection) in 2021, had life‑saving surgery, then a spinal stroke that left him paralysed in the legs; since then he has undergone intensive rehab, faced further issues including bowel cancer and another heart attack, but remains alive and focused on gradual recovery.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.