Sometimes life can be tough and we all experience difficult times. Some people recover quickly, while others face a long and difficult journey.
In 2015, a woman named Riona Kelly, who was 37 years old and had four children, went through two tragic events. First, she had a stroke which left her paralyzed from the waist down. However, what hurt her the most was not the stroke itself, but the fact that doctors told her she might never be able to walk again.
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The doctors had also suggested that a car accident she had 18 months earlier might have caused problems in her spine. Riona, who was a teacher, faced the biggest challenge of her life.
The mother in the story was very determined to turn her life around and go back to work so that she could be there for her children. However, her husband who was supposed to help her left her when she needed him the most.
Just five days after she went to the hospital, her husband of 14 years told her he wanted a divorce. This made her feel very sad and hopeless because she didn’t know how she would take care of her four children when she couldn’t even take care of herself.
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Thankfully, her friend Sarah and her children supported her during her recovery. Riona realized that although she was unhappy in her marriage, they had built a life together and had responsibilities.
“After my husband left me in hospital, my friend, Sarah, became my next of kin, it was her and the children that supported me during my recovery. Looking back I was miserable in my marriage, but we had built a life together and had responsibilities,” Riona told The Mirror.
Riona had a stroke and became paralyzed from the neck down. Her ex-husband, Richard, says he wanted to separate the day before this happened. The doctors were unsure if Riona would ever regain movement in her legs, but she didn’t give up and kept fighting. She had a difficult time adjusting to using a wheelchair, feeling embarrassed and wanting to end her life.
“The first time I went out in a wheelchair I thought everyone was looking at me, I hated it and hated myself. If someone had given me the choice I would have ended my life, I didn’t want to live anymore,” Riona shared.
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Riona had to work hard to get better after her injury. She had to do a lot of physiotherapy with her personal trainer, Keith Mason. Keith used to be a rugby player and an athlete. Riona and Keith became good friends and started spending more time together. Eventually, they started dating and fell in love. Riona’s kids liked Keith too.
After four months in the hospital, Riona was allowed to go home. With Keith’s help and a lot of exercises, she got better and could move her legs again. But she still needed a wheelchair if she wanted to travel long distances.
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Riona has now completed several marathons with Keith’s help and her wheelchair. She can walk on her own, but sometimes she uses a special AI frame for her legs. Riona is very happy that she met Keith and feels like life is worth living again.
During the COVID lockdowns, Keith Mason and Riona Kelly shared updates about her recovery journey on social media, inspiring many people. Riona, who had been told by doctors that she would never walk again, proved them wrong with the help of her bionic legs, which were created by innovative inventors and had AI technology. Keith shared a video of them walking around the city of York in 2022, showing how far she had come.
We proved the doctors wrong.💯♥️
The thought of us walking hand in hand around the city of York for hours was inconceivable just a few months ago, thank God for inventors, innovation and visionary’s who created Riona’s bionic legs which have AI and the first ever to be made. pic.twitter.com/Yw9mXgTl2u
— Keith Mason (@KeithMasonReal) April 3, 2022
However, it seems that Keith and Riona may no longer be together, as Keith has not posted any recent photos of her and Riona has deleted her social media accounts. We hope that they are both doing well and can find happiness in their lives. Their journey together was truly amazing and inspired many people during a difficult time.
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