Teen walks again after sudden paralysis
A teenager suffered sudden paralysis has defied the odds and regained the ability to walk again.
Fifteen-year-old Jessica Shainberg from Tennessee in the US woke up with no feeling below her waist just six weeks beforehand, having felt tingling in her legs days before.
When Jessica couldn't get out of bed to go to school, her parents took her to the hospital and she was eventually diagnosed with transverse myelitis, inflammation of the spinal cord.
"I didn’t believe her at first, [I said] 'You gotta wake your legs up and we got to go to school," her father, Jeff Shainberg told ABC News in the US.
Jessica was told she only a one-third chance she would be able to walk again as doctors tried to figure out the cause of the paralysis, with no infections in her spinal fluid detected.
The teen had a six-week deadline to walk again before doctors said she would likely never have the ability to use her legs properly again.
Jessica was moved to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for rehabilitation, and she shocked everyone with her incredible progress.
"The doctors didn’t expect her to recover like that," said Shainberg. "They were so impressed with her rehab. They hadn’t seen a patient like this in a while."
Now the teen, an honor roll student and tennis player, is not only walking she's been able to do some light running.
Doctors also found Jessica had signs of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare inflammation of the brain, during her rehabilitation, which her doctors say could explain her faster recovery.
"I’m so blessed and lucky to be able to be walking again," Jessica Shainberg told WKRN-TV.
News break - Friday March 6
