This Paralyzed Woman Taught Herself To Walk Down The Aisle For Her Wedding
Despite a 2008 swimming accident, Jaquie Goncher stood and walked on her wedding day.
On July 12, 2008, a swimming accident paralyzed Jaquie Goncher from the neck down — but she managed to stand, walk, and dance on her wedding day on May 22.
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"I sustained a spinal cord injury from my C5 vertebrae being completely shattered," she said. "I also fractured C1 and C2. After my surgery, the surgeon told my mother and I that I would never walk again."
A little over a month later, though, she flicked her right big toe for the first time, which she said left her surgeon in "complete shock."
A year before her wedding, Jaquie decided to put all her strength toward being able to stand and walk at her wedding, a goal she achieved — and then some.
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Grueling physical therapy, in addition to workouts at the gym, helped Jaquie as she built up her strength.
"I was an athlete in high school so working out again and not being able to do the workouts I used to was very emotionally hard for me," she said. "I walked on the treadmill at the slowest pace holding onto the sides and focused on not passing out. I would pull myself with my legs in my wheelchair around the gym."
She also did planks, lifted weights, used various abdominal machines, stood on a bosu ball, and used most of the leg machines.