We all go through difficult times at one time or another in our lives. While many recover quickly, others have a very long way to go.
In 2015, Riona Kelly, 37 and mother of four, experienced not one, but two tragedies. If one hurt her physically, the other caused her mental agony.
First, Riona suffered a stroke and was left paralyzed from the waist down, but it wasn’t the doctors’ diagnosis that completely broke her…
A stroke
Eight years ago, Riona Kelly suffered a devastating stroke. This teacher and mother of four faced the biggest challenge of her life: Doctors warned her and told her she might never walk again.
« I had been in a car accident 18 months before and they told me it may have caused problems in my spine, » Riona told the Mirror in 2017.
But this determined mother was motivated to return to work and change her life in order to be there for her children. Unfortunately, she was abandoned by the man who was supposed to help her when she needed it most. After just five days in hospital, her husband, who lived for 14 years, told her he wanted a divorce.
Paralyzed and devastated, Riona lay down in her hospital bed and wanted to give up. How was she going to raise her four children now that she could no longer take care of herself?
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She kept on fighting
“After my husband left me in hospital, my friend Sarah became my next of kin, and it was her and the children who supported me during my recovery. Looking back, I was unhappy in my marriage, but we had built a life together and had responsibilities,” Riona told the Mirror.
However, her ex-husband Richard claims he wanted to separate the day before Riona suffered a stroke, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down.
The recovery process was slow, and while doctors believed Riona would regain movement in her legs, no one was sure.
But although she nearly gave up on several occasions, she kept fighting.
“The first time I got out in a wheelchair I thought everyone was looking at me, I hated it and I hated myself. If someone had given me the choice, I would have ended my life, I didn’t want to live anymore,” says Riona.
During her grueling rehabilitation journey, with hundreds of hours of physiotherapy, Riona was supported by her personal trainer Keith Mason, a former rugby league star and athlete.
They got on really well and started spending more time together. Keith would often ask Riona how she was doing and their relationship grew from there.
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The couple started dating and fell in love. After hitting rock bottom, Riona finally felt that life was worth living again. His children also loved Keith, and the whole family felt empowered by accepting him into the family.
After four months of hospitalization, Riona was finally able to return home. With Keith’s help and lots of exercises, she has regained movement in her legs, although she still needs her wheelchair to travel long distances.
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Since her stroke, Riona has completed several marathons with the help of Keith and her wheelchair. Today, she can walk without assistance, but Riona often uses a custom AI frame for her legs.
During the lockdown, Keith Mason and Riona Kelly frequently posted messages about her recovery journey, which inspired millions. The mother is a true testimony of the will to never give up. She and Keith proved the doctors wrong!
“The idea of us walking hand in hand in the city of York for hours was inconceivable a few months ago. Thank goodness for the inventors, innovators and visionaries who created Riona’s bionic legs, which have AI and are the first to be made,” Keith wrote on Twitter in 2022, posting a video of the couple:
We proved the doctors wrong.
The thought of us walking hand in hand around the city of York for hours was inconceivable just a few months ago, thank God for inventors, innovation and visionary’s who created Riona’s bionic legs which have AI and the first ever to be made. pic.twitter.com/Yw9mXgTl2u
—Keith Mason (@KeithMasonReal) April 3, 2022
Unfortunately, it looks like Mason and Riona may not be together anymore.
Mason hasn’t shared photos of Riona in 2023, though he hasn’t deleted any either. On the other hand, Riona seems to have deleted her social media accounts, where she was very active until recently.
We hope all is well for both of them and that they can move on and find happiness elsewhere. However, no one can take away their incredible journey together – thank you for letting us be a part of it!
Feel free to share Riona’s story with your friends on Facebook, maybe you know someone who is feeling down and needs a sunny story to comfort them!
