Marina’s steps getting bigger
Standing beside her grandmother, or driving to see the ocean views.
It’s the little things like these that count for Palmerston North woman Marina Theron.
Six years ago, she dived into a pool, hit her head on the bottom and broke her neck. The accident left her a quadriplegic, paralysed from her chest down, but years of hard work with trainers and physiotherapists has seen her take steps on her own.
‘‘At first, I couldn’t feel anything below my chest and half my arms, whereas now I can feel most things and move around.’’
The recovery process was long and gruelling but step-by-step, she has been improving – cheered on at times by the whole world.
In 2019, Theron became an online hit after her trainer Josh Bond posted a video of her walking without crutches or a brace.
The attention from it was ‘‘insane’’, Theron said, as strangers cheered her progress.
And since the video was posted, her mobility has only improved.
‘‘It’s slowly getting better. A few months ago, I took my first steps without holding on to something.’’
She still uses a wheelchair to help move around, and said some of the best things about her progress included being able to get out of her chair and sit on the ground or the couch, or anywhere else.
Her training with Bond continues and they meet twice a week, alongside Theron’s work with physiotherapists. At the moment, her rehabilitation is balanced with her ongoing business studies at Massey University.
While the difference between now and when she was first injured was amazing, sometimes it was hard for her to see exactly how much she had improved over the past few years, she said.
Bond said her progress had been incredible.
The pair first started working together close to four years ago, first through Massey University where Bond was studying, then through his personal training business.
‘‘Two years ago, she walked 28 metres in six minutes with a Zimmer frame and three people helping. Three weeks ago, she walked 69 metres by herself in six minutes,’’ Bond said.
Over the years they’ve trained together, they’ve worked on her walking, using harnesses and winches to help, alongside cardio and strengthening her upper body, lower body and core muscles.
Bond said he’d seen Theron grow as a person, and was proud of what she had achieved.
‘‘When she first started walking, I almost cried.’’
‘‘When she first started walking I almost cried.’’
Josh Bond Personal trainer