Six years after being paralysed from the hips down in a car
accident, Gina Giaffoglione, 27, was able to fulfill her dream of
walking down the aisle. Since her accident, Gina has had to use a wheelchair to move around each day but she stunned guests on her wedding day.
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| The happy couple |
How? Months of physical therapy and bucketloads of determination and spirit. What a legend.
Her fiance, her dad Gary and close family knew about the plan but all the other guests were in for a major surprise
“I told her, ‘Whether we roll down that aisle or whether we walk
down that aisle, we’re going to do this.’ It’s been her dream. Obviously
it’s a dad’s dream of having the honour of walking your daughter down
the aisle,” her dad Gary Giaffoglione told KETV.
It took months of training at a rehabilitation centre to teach her
body to stand tall again. It took months more for her to learn to walk
using a custom-designed brace.
Giaffoglione remains positive and focused despite being in a
constant state of discomfort: “My legs feel like when your foot wakes up
from being asleep. It feels like that 24/7.”
Gina went through months of physical
therapy at CHI Health Rehabilitation Center at Immanuel Hospital to make
this wish come true, and managed to keep her progress a secret the
entire time.
After a year and a half, Gina learned to
straighten her body and walk with a brace and crutch. Prosthetics
specialists with the Hanger Clinic then redesigned the bride’s bulky leg
brace, so she could covertly hide it under her wedding gown.
everyone watched the bride walk down the aisle hand-in-hand with her dad
and then say her vows to her husband, standing up.
You can watch the inspiring video HERE
