Woman Paralyzed After Escaping Attacker Crutches New York Marathon

The last time Hannah Gavios ran, it was to escape someone trying to attack her. The 25-year-old was in Thailand on September 1st, 2016, running away from a man who was trying to assault her, when she fell over the edge of a 150-foot cliff and became paralyzed from the waist down. But now, just two years later, she laced up her sneakers for the New York City Marathon, despite still being partially paralyzed from the waist down.

Gavios can’t feel her ankles and feet and doctors weren’t sure she’d ever walk again, but with help from her crutches, she hit the streets to participate in the run. She uses her crutches to spring herself forward and has been training since March for the marathon.

"I want to encourage other people with any limitations," Gavios says. "Anybody that's in a dark place, there's always light at the end of the tunnel.”


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