Paraplegia, or leg paralysis, occurs after a spinal cord injury. This type of injury is caused by damage to the vertebrae, ligaments, or disks in the spinal column. On September 17, 2000, paraplegia became a factor in Tricia Downing’s life. Downing, a competitive cyclist at the age of 31, became injured in a collision with a moving vehicle while riding her bicycle. Little did Downing know that she was about to fight her most difficult battle. While fighting this battle, the avid cyclist learned suffering, endurance, and character in facing these hardships. Her faith strengthened her to become one of the most determined racers in human history. From being an adopted child to becoming a paralyzed possibility, Downing proved giving up is not an …show more content…
These memories play a very important role in the book because they show us how Downing trained all her life and how much effort she put into her career. Also, these memories show us how Downing went from being a professional to being paralyzed. She was admitted to St. Anthony Hospital on the day of her accident. A long road of suffering was in store for this trained athlete. Some major setbacks she faces while being hospitalized include having two surgeries. The first surgery is the operation on her spine and the second surgery is gallbladder surgery. Downing needed her gallbladder taken out a week before she was to transfer to Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation center. Once transferred, another surgery is taken place on her coccyx. This surgery is so dangerous, Downing had to lay flat for 6 weeks. Suffering through all of this pain, she begins to lose …show more content…
She was discharged from Craig Hospital and moved into her new condo. She heard about a new study from UCLA in Los Angeles which was founded by Dr. Susan Harkema, who became a forerunner in helping those with spinal cord injuries. Tricia learned of a marathon that was taking place in Hawaii and decided to go and be part of it. She finished the marathon in less than three hours. Downing came back to finish her study sessions with the doctor. She left for Minnesota to visit her friend, Stacey. Stacey had convinced her to run a marathon in Duluth. This race was 26.2 miles long. The thought of being a part of this race brought back a glimpse of her former life, where accepting risk and attempting beyond-my-comfort-zone trials were the norm and a sense of pride and adventure for her (128). Through all the hardships and trials she has had to face, this race played a major factor in her recover. Tricia Downing finished the race. She was not last. Downing learned endurance and endured through all the pain and began to believe in herself. She felt victorious!
Tricia Downing’s true character began to show. Downing started to believe in herself again. She decided to compete in an Ironman Triathlon. Over the years, she did nothing but train for these races. She failed at two of them. After her second, she married her husband, Steve, and started another triathlon. She fought to win this one and began to show
during that time, and it almost killed her. She pulled through, but her left leg was paralyzed from
Joni Eareckson Tada once said, “Sometimes God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves” (Goodreads). Since she was born on October 15th, 1949, Joni had always been an athletic, horse-loving young lady (“Sweet Surrender” 39). That changed one hot summer day in 1967 when seventeen-year-old Joni went to the Chesapeake Bay with her sister and her boyfriend. While swimming, she dove into the water not knowing that it was shallow. As a result of the shallow water, Joni hit her head on a rock and broke her neck. Luckily, her sister found her and got her safely to a hospital. Due to the break in her neck, Joni has had to deal with the life-threatening condition of quadriplegia, or paralysis from the shoulders down without the use of her
Cresting the hill, I struggled with my ragged breathing and the pain in my hips. I focused on my rhythm I in order to keep going. My running shoes slapped the pavement as onlookers expressed their encouragement with cowbells and cheers. I wondered again why I put myself into the situation by choice. As I passed mile 13 I remembered. I felt my eyes water and my legs shake as the finish line approached. Marines in uniform stood ready with medals and smiles as they encouraged us in our own hardships to rise above the pain and finish. The announcer spoke my name but I hardly heard him as a medal slipped over my head and I marveled at the weight, not of the medal, but the accomplishment which seemed impossible for the past three hours. I finished in 3 hours, 7 minutes. It was not an Olympic record and I detested running at mile two, but I did it.
Every runner wore a bib number with the time they start on it. As I was running people were passing me who had started after me, and I kept thinking I was going too slow and that I shouldn’t be taking this long to complete it. Through words of encouragement from my mom and decipline mentras from myself I finished the race, I crosses the fanish line and the feeling of triumph as I crossed it was something I’ll never forget.
During an afternoon bike ride she was struck by a car, leaving her paralyzed. She was rushed to the hospital where she was nursed back to health before beginning her next life challenge. “…a bike accident left her paralyzed from the chest down. Downing threw herself into rehab and--on top of learning how to care for herself--mastered the challenge of using a handcycle and a racing chair” (Balmain). Downing did not allow an accident to stop her. After being treated at the hospital she began rehab to get back up and start tackling challenges. She began to work towards athletic training with handcycles and racing wheelchairs. She overcame these very different types of sports that she has had no experience with and became a pro at them. Downing is not a person that will give up, no matter how tragic of a place she is
As Terry did this he continued to run over twenty miles a day and work towards the day he would start. On April 12th, 1980, Terry Fox stepped outside and began his five-thousand mile run across Canada or “The Marathon of Hope” as it was called. People from all over that hear about this would cheer him on from the sides of the streets and others who couldn’t see him would think about him. The hope he gave to people was incredible. Sometimes Terry would have to skip a day due to bad weather or couldn’t do as much mileage, but he still kept going.
Some runners fear the possibility of injuries such as shin splints, twisted ankle, etc. But imagine running a 5k with these injuries- along with cerebral palsy. Renowned sports writer Rick Reilly captures the moment Hanna High junior Ben Comen, who’s body is wrecked by cerebral palsy, crosses the finish line of his cross country race in the piece ”Worth the Wait”, written in 2003. Flagged by his teammates opponents, and even the girl’s team Ben tumbles in a last ditch effort across the line to the screams of the crowd. It’s near impossible to imagine what it’s like to not control your body for such a long distance, enduring the adversity along the way, but Reilly pushes the reader to run alongside Ben throughout the story. He paints an image
Everything that happened to Jessica in the past six months had led up to that moment for her. Once she started running again, she did not want to stop. “Sherlock and I run the whole five-mile loop over Aggery Bridge every morning. When I wake up tired, I remind myself how long I’ve waited to be able to run again, and it gets me up,” (Van Draanen 282). Even with all the work that Jessica had gone through to get to where she was, she still wanted to do more. Her friends Rosa was fascinated by the thought of crossing the finish line. Since she had been in a wheelchair her entire life, she never had the chance. Jessica decided that that was going to change. Even though she had only been running for a month on her prosthetic, Jessica began training for her town’s annual 10-mile race. Jessica decided that she was going to help Rosa cross her finish line by actually pushing her across it. Jessica put in so much work to be able to achieve what seemed to be such a ridiculous goal. She ran everyday pushing around a wheelchair filled potting soil, lifted weights, and she began eating a protein filled diet to build her muscle. Jessica was so determined to do this for Rosa, even though she was disabled herself. The morning of the race was quite exciting, both for Jessica and Rosa. “‘One minute!’ the announcer calls. My heart speeds up. I feel suddenly light-headed. And then there’s the pop of the starting gun. It’s time,” (Van Draanen 323). During the race, it seemed as if Jessica was reminiscing the difficult journey she endured. She thought back on the last eight months of her life, and realized how she got through it. “One by one by one by one. That’s how I got through losing my leg. Minute by minute by minute by minute. Hour by hour by hour by hour. Day by day by day by day,” (Van Draanen 328). Even though Jessica was completely spent by the end of the race, she could not have
She couldn’t swim, she couldn’t run, so she decided to make her own. With a group of experts, Aimee was able to make suitable legs that not only let her swim and run, they looked real. This showed where she could’ve given up, but wanted to try her best. Similarly, Bethany Hamilton, after losing her arm, decided to learn how to surf one handed. It was very difficult, but she knew she was born to be in the water.
Terry Fox’s journey began in 1977, when his right leg was amputated because of a malignant tumour (“The Marathon of Hope”). After a successful amputation, he had dreams of running and started to train for his cross-Canada run – the Marathon of Hope. After running
43 degrees Fahrenheit and realizing I had forgotten my arm warmers and iPod, I recognized the 26.2 miles ahead of me would require some grit. Yet before the starting pistol fired and the recording of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” played, I knew all the preparation done in the months and weeks prior had primed me for a successful finish. There is a mantra in distance running, “the hay is in the barn,” to affirm that all of the training and miles logged up until race day will lead you to success. And it is this mantra which has guided my preparation for a career as a physician assistant.
Many, who did not get the chance to cross the finish line last year, went again. ”"I think I'm going to start crying at the starting line, and I'm not sure I'll stop until I cross the finish line," said Katie O'Donnell”.Many people stayed brave and went , some didn’t even run the race and just came to support their city.Jeff Bauman , who lost his legs during the bombing “"It feels great" to be back, he said. "I feel very safe."”.Another supporter "Just wanted to let them know that they can't beat us down. I think it makes us all stronger when something like that happens," he said.” Showing that no matter what happened they will be united.
CURRENT: Following the shamrock half marathon Jenny has not been doing any physical activity. She recently had many runs and felt as if she needed a break. She says she has lingering pains that start to bother her around the last two weeks of training. She states she has hamstring pain in both of her legs, left Achilles discomfort, and right calf cramping
Paralysis is the loss of muscle movement in the body. Our bones need activity from the muscles to keep them strong. Paralysis affecting the lower limb is called paraplegia. The decrease in muscular activity leads to bone loss. Eventually leading to osteoporosis where you begin to lose minerals and calcium from the bones. The bones tissue begins thinning causing the bone to become thin and
Half-way to her destination a second wind kicks in, but it doesn’t last. Her stamina caves and she nearly faints and fears she may die like her brother riding a bicycle. But the support and courage she needs shows up just in time. She rides to the finish line in intact.