Girl, 16, who suffered back injury which confined her to wheelchair makes astonishing recovery... after getting stuck in a TOY CAR

Recovery: The moment Olivia Johnston-Wilder, 16, of Coventry, West Midlands, became stuck in a toy car in a children's play area and felt her legs again

A 16-year-old girl who feared she would never walk again after shattering her back in five places made a remarkable recovery when she became stuck in a Little Tikes toy car.
Olivia Johnston-Wilder, of Coventry, West Midlands, was left paralysed from the waist down after a fall fractured her back and left her unable to feel her legs, leaving her wheelchair-bound.
The girl - who has bipolar disorder - said she ‘gave up’ at one point during her recovery after the accident in February 2011, but suddenly felt feeling in her legs after getting stuck in the toy.
She said: ‘I was playing in the hospital children's play area and got stuck in a plastic car - I began to panic and didn't know how on earth I was going to get out. But while trying to free myself my back twinged and I felt pins and needles in my legs - a sensation I hadn't had in months.
'I was convinced I'd never walk again - I couldn't feel my legs. Giving up and spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair was the easiest thing to do. But that was it then, I got pins and needles and I could finally feel my legs again.’
She spent almost a year in hospital recovering from her severe injuries. Olivia said she was extremely 'scared and panicked' following her fall that her life would never be the same again.

On her feet and bicycle: Oliva - who has bipolar disorder - said she 'gave up' at one point during her recovery after the accident in February 2011, but suddenly felt feeling in her legs after getting stuck in the toy car

She added: ‘It was terrifying, doctors told me that I would eventually be okay but I just couldn't believe them - I was just scared that I would never be able to walk again.

‘It's just an unimaginable thing to happen and to be confined to a wheelchair just strips you of the ability to do so many things.’
Olivia was transferred from Coventry's University Hospital to Birmingham's Children's Hospital to begin her rehabilitation treatment.

During her recovery: The teenager spent almost a year in hospital recovering from her severe injuries. Olivia said she was extremely 'scared and panicked' after her fall that her life would never be the same again

But the recovery process had only just begun as she struggled to cope the extreme physical and mental endurance needed to walk again.

'I was convinced I'd never walk again - I couldn't feel my legs'

Olivia Johnston-Wilder

Olivia said: ‘It was tremendously difficult to keep going. There was a time where I just completely gave up and believed it would just be easier to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.
‘But with support from nurses, trained specialists, family and friends I became more focused and determined to achieve something special.’
Olivia was gradually able to rebuild her strength through gruelling rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions - even using rock climbing, because she could use her arms to do what her legs could not.

Getting better: After her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, Olivia set her sights on her first major challenge since her accident and completed a Cancer Research UK 5km Race for Life (left)

After her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, Olivia set her sights on her first major challenge since her accident and completed a Cancer Research UK 5km (3.1-mile) Race for Life.

'Doctors told me that I would eventually be okay but I just couldn't believe them'

Olivia Johnston-Wilder

Olivia said: ‘I completed it on crutches, I want to achieve something to be proud of. It took me three hours to complete but I did it.’
Her progression has dramatically improved and today she was due to be taking part in the Coventry 5km Fun Run - her longest distance so far without the aid of crutches.
She was doing so with Louis Boon, 15, who has recently undergone operations on both his feet. Olivia has raised more than £500 for Birmingham Children's Hospital. Click here to sponsor her.

DAILYMAIL