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Dutch athlete Monique van der Vorst became paralyzed from the hip down during a surgical operation when she was 13 years old, and used a wheelchair afterward. She also suffered a spinal cord injury in 2008. Meanwhile, she became a cyclist, using her hands for propulsion, and won two silver medals at the 2008 Paralympics, as well as other athletic honors. Then van der Vorst was involved in another crash last year when she was hit by a bicycle. While recovering, she began to feel tingling in her feet! Months of therapy followed while van der Vorst regained the use of her legs.
Doctors have no explanation for her amazing recovery. Some believe the trauma of her last accident may have jolted her body back into activity.
But the realities of her new-found joy also put an immediate end to a successful athletic career.
“Although walking is the best thing you could do in life, I immediately missed the sport, the people and the challenges,” van der Vorst said.
Rehabilitation and physiotherapy with an athletic focus strengthened her and as soon as she sat on a bike she again wanted to give it a try.
But van der Vorst has a new goal. She has signed with a professional cycling team as an able-bodied athlete, and is training to compete in the 2016 Olympics. Link -via Buzzfeed, where you can see more pictures.
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/AP)
Jack Weir was clearing trees in his family farm with a Bobcat when a large cottonwood hit back and impaled him with a piece of wood 20 feet long and 6 inches thick.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle:
A broken limb came flying in under the roll bar, spearing Jack through the belly with a piece of wood 20 feet long and six inches thick.
“I’ve always had a pretty high tolerance for pain. I had no pain, I had none,” Wier said.
Still, he knew the situation was desperate. That’s when Jack remembered the military mantra he relied on during his 38 years in the army.
“You define the problem…you identify alternatives… you accumulate relevant information… and then you make a decision. My problem was I got this tree in me,” explained the tree accident victim.
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