Freak accident in the gym.

Marcelle Mancuso, 23, told DailyStar how she broke the C5 vertebra of her neck and was temporarily paralyzed. The accident occurred after she fell off an inclined bench headfirst while doing inverted sit-ups at a gym in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil.

“I was attached to the equipment with a strip, which broke and the personal trainer could not hold me. I hit the back of my head on the floor, and immediately lost all body movements with the blow. My diagnosis was tetraplegia – no movement in my arms or legs. The doctors did not know if I would walk again or if I would stay on a bed forever.”

Her spine was brutally impacted by the fall. Marcelle broke the fifth vertebrae in the neck section of her spine, knocked another one out of place, and squashed a third, compressing her spinal cord.

She was quickly rushed to hospital where doctors grafted bone to the broken vertebrae and fitted a metal plate in her spine.

The recovery was an uncertain process. The doctors did not know if their actions would result in Marcelle regaining her ability to walk, but after three days in the hospital she was able to wiggle her fingers and toes. From that promising sign, she continued to recover little by little.

In a week she could stand up with help, a month after the accident she took her first steps with a walking frame, and after three months se could walk modest distances on her own.

Now the law graduate is back training in the gym. She’s even doing her inverted sit-ups again. Marcelle says the incident gave her a new perspective on life.

“I want to help and inspire so many people who are going through difficult times. While you’re alive, you have a chance. Life can be incredible from various perspectives, it just depends on us and the love we carry in our hearts.”

Sometimes tragic incidents can be counted as blessings. Many people walk through life taking it for granted, letting moments slip by without appreciating the wondrous experience of life. This incident, although it will affect Marcelle for life, has allowed her to truly understand the privilege of living.

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