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A paralysed mom has learnt to fly a plane, professionally scuba dive, skydive and ride to prove to her son that her crippling accident hasn’t left her “useless”.
Amanda Newton (47), from West Sussex in the UK, lost the use of her legs after a cycling accident in which she sustained 11 fractures and a punctured lung.
She could have died in the incident three years ago, as she lay unable to move in bushes for more than an hour after her bike collided with a road sign.
Fortunately her cries for help were heard by a passing cyclist and she was rushed to hospital, where doctors found she was paralysed from the waist down.
Visiting her in hospital, Amanda’s son Jacob (now 19) expressed fear that his mom, a former triathlete, would no longer be able to enjoy her life.
Amanda, who penned autobiography The Sky is Not the Limit, said: “When my son came to visit me in the hospital the first night after the accident he burst into tears.
“He crumbled and said, ‘Oh my god mom, your life will be useless’.”
This spurred her on to not be held back by her disability.
“After the accident a lot of people would feel sorry for me, as I was so active before with my running, triathlons and being a daredevil.
“I wanted people to look at my life and want a life like mine. I wanted to show them that being in a wheelchair isn’t to be pitied.
“It gave me the fire in my belly to go and get on with my life, to live life at its fullest. I could have nearly lost everything.”
The mom-of-four was so determined to “never be scared of anything” that she started taking on challenges to overcome her fears and test herself.
She’s since beaten her fear of horse-riding and gone skydiving, kayaking and seated-skiing. She’s also tried out scuba diving, seated water skiing, shooting and archery.
Currently she’s training for her private pilot’s license.
Amanda says surviving the accident in August 2015 left her determined to defy the odds and savour every moment of her life.
“Lying with those significant injuries in the bushes for over an hour, watching the clock tick was horrific.
“An hour is a long time to have all these things going around in your head, thinking that you could die as you’re lying there fighting for every breath.
“When I was found, the relief of knowing I wasn’t going to die meant that I didn’t care as much about losing the use of my legs.
“I knew that I was still me, I have my arms and can do everything from a wheelchair.”
She believes the difficulties she faces on a daily basis because of her disabilities has led her to dream bigger and accomplish more.
“It’s a misconception that we are less able. We just have to do things in a different way and at times have more determination because of the challenges we face every day.
“Even small things like getting things from the top shelf can be a challenge, so once you start accomplishing the small things the bigger challenges don’t seem as impossible.
“Now I feel like I’m able to do a lot of things able-bodied people would only dream of doing.”
Amanda’s autobiography has become a bestseller on Amazon and she also gives motivational talks at schools to inspire others.
Jacob, whose worry kick-started his mother into action three years ago, is overwhelmed by Amanda’s achievements.
“I knew I had to prove to everyone that I’d be okay and especially to my children who were really worried,” Amanda says.
“I had some really bad times in hospital. But the sun sets and shines every day, you have to look for the light.”
