A former national gymnast who was paralysed after a freak vaulting accident is determined to learn to walk again. Jennifer Smyth, 25, trained 20 hours a week and competed in national gymnastics competitions before a freak accident put a stop to it.
Jennifer, from Eglinton, County Londonderry, was practicing a new vaulting move in September of 2013 when she landed flat on her back. She realised she couldn't move any part of her body - and was rushed to hospital for surgeries.
It was soon revealed she had fractured two vertebrae as she landed - rendering her quadriplegic and curtailing her gymnastics career. She started off able to do little more than blink but she was determined to she would one day walk again - having physio and sessions in a bionic suit three times per week ever since the accident.
