To some, marriage is considered a beautiful alliance, something to be treated with the utmost respect. These people will do everything in their power to make a marriage work. On the other hand, for others, it’s simply a part of life. It is often said that the woman is more committed to the man in a relationship, this, however, had never been the case throughout this relationship. Both sides were equally as committed to one another.  His wife was so happy with him and always talked about how perfect he was. This was until he left her after she became paralysed. The protagonist of this story did something unimaginable, on the premise that her husband needed to be given a taste of his own medicine.

Riona Kelly and her loving husband, Richard, shared a beautiful bond. While the pair couldn’t be more opposite, they were perfect for each other. They met each other in college and, after dating for just a short while, realised they were meant to be.

Declaration of love

The pair were soon engaged to be married. They couldn’t wait to make their love official and declare it to their family and friends. They were convinced that their love would last forever and that they would be able to overcome any challenges that life threw at them, together.

The couple said their wedding vows in a different way to most. Rather than just saying “I Do” and “I Accept”, they looked each other in the eyes and repeated the entire vow. It was hugely romantic.

Family

Kelly and Richard remained married to one another for some fourteen years. They started a beautiful family together. Kelly gave birth to four wonderful children. After so many years of happiness together, they did not anticipate that things could go so horribly wrong…

Kelly and Richard’s dream, from the start, had been to have a big family. This dream came true for them and they soon became six members strong. The kids were called Leighanra (now 17), Caleb (12), Izabela (10) and Logan (6). The family were considered picture perfect.

Amazing mother

Kelly was the perfect mother to her kids. She dedicated all of her time to her kids, always cooking dinners for them, taking them everywhere and making sure that they were all happy and healthy.

This was a really happy family. However, unfortunately, things don’t always remain that way. This happiness was taken away from them when the family faced an obstacle which they could never have prepared themselves for.

Disaster strikes

One day, something really awful happened. Kelly was running down the stairs and slipped and fell. Little Logan was at home at the time and rushed to see what had happened. He saw his mother lying at the bottom of the stairs, injured. He called for help straight away.

Kelly had suffered a major spine injury. She was just 37 years old at the time. The impact of the fall had caused her to have a spinal stroke, which meant that the blood supply to her spine was disrupted. As a result of this imbalance in her blood supply, she was left paralysed from the waist down.

Will she ever walk again?

Unfortunately, to make matters worse, Kelly had been involved in a car crash 18 months prior to this, which meant that her backbone was already fairly weak. Richard couldn’t get his head around what had happened to his wife.

In addition to this, Kelly received some even worse news. She was informed by her doctors that the blood flow to her spine was so minimal, that it might be possible that Kelly would never walk again. This, of course, came as a huge blow to Kelly, Richard and their loved ones, who were hoping for a speedy recovery for Kelly. Kelly could not believe she would never be able to run with her children again.

A devastating blow

As if being paralysed wasn’t awful enough, Kelly’s husband decided to leave her. Just five days after the accident, Richard walked out on his wife and children. This was absolutely devastating for Kelly, just when she needed her husband the most, he left without any explanation.

Richard did the exact opposite to what he had promised in his wedding vows. He had promised to love her “in sickness and in health”. He broke his vow to stay with her through everything. Kelly was absolutely broken.

Staying strong

Kelly’s injury felt like nothing compared to the pain that Richard put her through when he walked out on them. She was paralysed, without a husband, and still having to look after several young children. She was forced to turn to friends and hospital staff for help. She needed them to help her through this intense mental and physical battle.

Being a single parent to four kids is difficult enough, without having the additional strain of being paralysed from the waist down. Her only option was to stray as strong as possible, for the sake of her kids if nothing else. What could she do now?

Putting on a brave face

How was Kelly supposed to face this immense struggle all on her own? The hardest thing she found was that, sometimes her kids would need her assistance with something and she physically wouldn’t be able to help.

She went through so many intense emotions, but she had to put on a brave face most of the time and be a strong mother to her children. Her broken marriage and all the responsibility she had, made her extremely unstable. She felt anxious all the time, would easily lose her temper if she wasn’t careful and struggled hugely with depression.

Humiliation

Kelly explains that there was a time when she was lying helpless in her hospital bed, that she felt like just giving up. The only thing that, for her, made her life worth living, was her kids. She knew she had to be strong for them.

When Kelly first left the hospital in her wheelchair, she felt humiliated. She was convinced that everyone was staring at her. In that moment, she wanted to die. She says: “If someone had given me the choice, I would have ended my life, I didn’t want to live anymore.”

Hope at last

Just when Kelly felt as though she had hit rock bottom and could not go on any longer, something happened which gave her some motivation to go on. She gained the ability to stand with the help of a parallel bar. This was an incredible feeling for Kelly and she felt that she was progressing.

Kelly began to take on physiotherapy sessions. Despite not being able to feel her legs still, even just being able to move them raised her spirits. These results motivated Kelly to find a personal trainer. Little did she know, this personal trainer would end up changing her life forever.

Knight in shining armour

Kelly looked to Facebook to find herself a personal trainer. She was approached by several trainers, but when they learnt of her condition, they decided they couldn’t help her. It would require far too much time and effort. Then along came Keith Mason…

Keith was more than happy to help Kelly out. When Keith heard her story, he was so moved by it that he felt obliged to help her out. He decided to do everything in his power to help make improvements to Kelly’s paralysed state.

An impressive guy

Keith was recommended to Kelly. She had no idea what to expect and little did she know, her life was about to change unimaginably, with the help and support of Keith. He would end up, not only helping her physically, but also mentally.

Keith Mason was no ordinary guy. Personal training was just a bit on the side for him, he was, in fact, a renowned rugby player. He had payed for a total of four Superleague teams: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, St. Helens, the Castleford Tiers, and the Huddersfield Giants. He also tried his hand in acting.

Improvements

Kelly was beginning to show improvements. Keith devoted a lot of time to helping her and she continued to progress. She had reached the point that she could now run after her children. This was something that she had been longing for. She eventually did stop training with Mason, as she found a more affordable physiotherapist near her home.

Though Keith and Kelly had parted ways, something still kept them together. While, Kelly had taken on physio with a new instructor, Keith reached out to her to invite her for a coffee. Kelly willingly accepted.

Meeting up

When the pair went out for coffee, they got on like a house on fire. Kelly explains that, during that coffee meeting, it felt as though time had stood still. The conversation was flowing endlessly. It was at this point, that they realised that their relationship was more than just a trainer and client.

Kelly and Keith were falling madly in love. They could feel it. Kelly never thought she would get the opportunity to feel something like this again, how wrong she was. She couldn’t believe her luck.

Love of her life

Kelly regularly asked herself how she had ended up getting this lucky. How could such a successful and attractive man have fallen for her, a paralysed mother of four? She could not believe her fate.

Kelly credits her unbelievable progress to her wonderful children and Keith, who became the love of her life. Not only did Keith help her hugely physically – playing a big part in her ability to walk again, but he also mended her broken heart. She says he is her support system.

Inspiration

Keith describes Kelly as his inspiration. Her determination to keep going and to learn to walk again is something which he hugely admires. She argues that he was her inspiration and that he has made her into the strong woman she is today. She explains that “he encourages me everyday and understands and sees the pain that I am in.” The couple seem to complement each other extremely well.

Kelly is ecstatic to have found Keith. He has completed her family and has shown her the meaning of true love. She loved him more and more each day. She had never loved anyone this much, aside from her children. They have faced some tough times together, which has made their relationship all the more strong.

Wheelchair sport

Kelly has made so much progress since she started training with Keith again. The pair frequent the gym together and do work outs. Kelly has reached the point that she doesn’t need to use her wheelchair around the house anymore. She only requires it when travelling long distances. Her calf muscles and backbone were getting stronger by the day.

Kelly decided to do something productive with her condition. She ended up participating in a couple of wheelchair marathons, both of which she thoroughly enjoyed. She took great comfort in seeing other people in a similar condition to her.

Charity

It is said that you can’t understand other people’s pain, until you have faced it yourself. Therefore, Kelly was hugely understanding and sympathetic towards those who suffer from strokes and issues with their spinal cord. She and Keith felt motivated to help those facing these struggles. Not only have they raised money for stroke and spinal cord research, but they have even started their own charity.

This charity is dedicated to working on issues related to health, predominantly concerning nutrition and fitness for people with physical disabilities. The charity is called “GoPink.” They have also made public appearances for charities such as the Wakefield Trinity Physical Disabilities Rugby League and Para-dance.

Happy life

Kelly now lives a healthy, happy life, surrounded by a loving family. She is a real inspiration and an example of the importance of persevering when life presents you with challenges.

Kelly has recently signed a contract with Models of Diversity and has even shot her very first TV commercial! We sincerely hope that Kelly continues to grow healthier and happier and that her children also remain that way.