She didn’t walk until she was four years old, and has now blown doctors’ predictions to dust while raising thousands of dollars for charity.
We’re all in a need of some good news right now, so here it is: a young 19 year-old woman with cerebral palsy has just completed the New York Marathon, raising thousands of dollars for a great cause while she did it.
Her name is Zoe North and she hails from New Malden, a suburb in south-west London, England.
Ms. North completed the endurance-testing 26.2 mile race course in New York City in 5 days, raising funds to support a research project through Sparks. The project aims to find a treatment for foetal membrane damage, something that can result in premature birth.
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So, how much money did Zoe gather? Amazingly, she raised more than a whopping £142,000 for charity, which is about $186,190 USD.
Even more astonishing is the fact that, according to the Daily Mail, Zoe was unable to walk for more than just 15 minutes without resting back in 2016. She underwent serious training with specialists. This brought her up to an average of 5 miles a day, an amazing feat for someone with her condition.
Cerebral palsy affects a person’s muscles and movement, and can make it hard to walk, as well as talk. It affects the brain’s development and usually happens before a child is born, with many different ramifications.
For Zoe, just 5 years ago she was unable to walk flat-footed. She has since had an operation to loosen her tendons, something which she says changed her life. And now she’s changing others’.
To sponsor Zoe and learn more about her life and amazing accomplishment, click here.
Photo credits: Maridav/Shutterstock.com;
