A Rotherham woman is set to compete in the London marathon 6 years after she was paralysed from the neck down due to a rare condition.
Stevie O’Brian, 39, lived a healthy life and was signed up to run the both London Marathon and the Manchester Marathon in 2020 before they were cancelled due to Covid 19.
In April 2020 she started to get pins and needled in her feet and hands, lost temperature sensation down one side of her body and eventually lost bladder control.
After a surgery in her neck, her symptoms began to worsen and within 2 weeks she was completely paralysed below the neck and had lost sight in her right eye.
Mrs O’Brian said “They didn’t know if I would walk again.”
She was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMO), which is a condition where the immune system attacks the body’s nerves.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, there are only 1,000 people in England that have been diagnosed with NMO.
Mrs O’Brian has since made a remarkable recovery and six months after being admitted to hospital she took her first steps.
She said “The doctors said they were really quite shocked and he said that my recovery was really quite unusual with how severely the attack came on.
“Some people with NMO might get pain behind the eye and might get pins and needles but they don’t always end up with full paralysis.”
As she was adapting to life with a spinal cord injury Stevie deferred her place in the London Marathon for as long as she could but was forced to give it up.
“I didn’t feel ready for it, so I ended up not doing it. It was devastating because I used to love running.”
Now, Stevie feels ready to take on the marathon and had partnered with the Spinal Injuries Association.
The London Marathon will be her first walking challenge Stevie has taken since her injury.
She said “I’ve run marathons before, but I know this is going to be completely different because it’s harder on my legs. I know it is going to be really difficult, but I am just going to go and give it my best shot and just try and enjoy the day.”