Paralympian un-paralyzed by crash (10 Photos)

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Paralympic silver-medalist Monique van der Vorst has been paralyzed from the hip down since she was 13 years old. During a routine surgical procedure on her ankle, Van Der Vorst suffered nerve damage which resulted in her paralysis, and ended her up-and-coming career in tennis and hockey. Keeping her athletic spirit alive, she turned to the sport of handcycling and within a few years was on her way to the 2008 Beijing Paralympics where she won two silver medals. While training for the 2012 London Paralympics, Van Der Vorst was struck by a bicycle and knocked from her chair. During her recovery, she miraculously began to regain feeling in her legs. She took her first steps in July 2010, saying she felt “like a child learning to walk again.” She has now taken up cycling and is training to compete in the next Olympics. Doctors still have no explanation as to how she regained the use of her legs.

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