Latest news with #spinaBifida
RNZ News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Adam Hall set for record sixth Winter Paralympics
Adam Hall Photo: PHOTOSPORT New Zealand Paralympian Adam Hall has been selected for a record-equalling sixth Paralympic Games. He's been named alongside defending Men's Downhill Sitting champion Paralympian Corey Peters on the NZ Paralympic Team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in March. Hall is set to match the landmark achievement by fellow Kiwis - Paralympian #4 Graham Condon and Paralympian #148 Michael Johnson as a six-time Paralympian. Johnson competed in para shooting and Condon in para athletics and para swimming at the Paralympic Summer Games. Hall is the first New Zealand Para athlete to appear at six Paralympic Winter Games. The 37-year-old Dunedin-born Para athlete made his debut appearance at Torino 2006. Hall, who was born with spina bifida, claimed a gold medal in the Men's Slalom Standing at Vancouver 2010 before he regained the title eight years later at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, where he also snared a bronze medal in the Men's Super Combined Standing. At the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games he won bronze medals in the Men's Super Combined Standing and Men's Slalom Standing disciplines. Selected for both the Men's Slalom Standing and the Men's Giant Slalom Standing at Milano Cortina 2026, Hall said gaining selection for his sixth Games was an honour. "Each Paralympic experience provides a unique platform to challenge myself, inspire others, and demonstrate the remarkable capabilities of what is possible when living with a disability or not. I extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to my teammates, coaches, and all those who have supported me throughout this journey. Together we will continue to strive to push boundaries and redefine the possibilities within the world of adaptive and para winter sport," Hall said. Peters will make his fourth Paralympic Winter Games appearance at Milano Cortina 2026. The 41-year-old sit skier claimed a silver medal in the Men's Giant Slalom Sitting discipline on his Paralympic debut in Sochi 2014. Four years later at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games he added a bronze medal in the Men's Downhill Sitting, before claiming a stunning Men's Downhill Sitting gold medal at Beijing 2022 and silver in the Men's Super-G Sitting. Peters, who sustained a crushed spinal cord competing in a motocross event 16 years ago, took a year out from the sport following the birth of his daughter in 2022 and spent a further 12 months on the sidelines after sustaining a dislocated shoulder in a training accident in Chile in mid-2023. However, the experienced Kiwi made a successful return to the podium during the 2024-25 World Cup campaign suggesting he is in shape to mount a strong medal challenge at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Selected for the Men's Downhill Sitting, Men's Super-G Sitting and Men's Giant Slalom Sitting for Milano Cortina 2026, Peters said being selected for his fourth Paralympic Games was a testament to years of resilience, and unwavering passion. "Every Games tells a different story, and this one is about legacy. It's about representing not just my country, but every challenge I've faced and every person who believed in me. I carry all of that with pride, and I'm ready to give it everything I've got," Peters said. PNZ CEO Greg Warnecke described the Para alpine skiing pair as "legends" banking an incredible nine Paralympic Winter Games medals between them. A second selection announcement for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, should it be required, will be made in February 2026.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Spina bifida: Pupils design walking aid for teacher's daughter
A group of schoolchildren in County Tyrone have come together to help design and build a specialised walking aid for their teacher's daughter who has spina treatment, spina bifida can sometimes lead to a range of lifelong issues such as problems with mobility, because of nerve damage, and in extreme cases it can cause McIlvenny found out early in her pregnancy that her daughter, Penny, had the told Claire she met the criteria to qualify for pioneering prenatal surgery for the condition in Belgium. "It was amazing what they were able to do, because before the surgery Penny would have had 10% chance of mobility and after it increased it to 50%," Claire said."Penny spent a few weeks in the neonatal unit and we were just so happy to have her here with us, but at the same time we didn't know what was ahead."It was clear early on that she was going to have mobility issues, but we could see for such a small person she was so resilient with such a big personality, and she was just determined to do things." Penny's story Penny, who has just turned two years old, has been attending child physiotherapy appointments in the Southern has limited mobility and mostly uses splints on her legs to help her stand and to help her practice part of her physiotherapy, Penny uses a walking stand, consisting of two parallel bars and a platform to help her strengthen her leg recently, she was only able to use the equipment every few weeks when she attended the Children's Development Centre in Lurgan. "The idea is to try to help Penny achieve those motor skills, so things like rolling, sitting up, crawling and now we've progressed to practicing walking with her," said Jayne Wilson, Penny's physiotherapist."This is mostly done with a set of parallel bars that she uses in the clinic, and she is such a motivated child and a delight to work with."She had been making great progress and one day Penny's mum and I were chatting after one of her sessions and talked about how it would be great if she had something like the parallel bars at home so she could practice with it daily."The next week, when Claire was at work in St Patrick's College in Dungannon, she recounted this conversation to some of her colleagues, and an idea was sparked among some of the school's culminated in a small group of staff and pupils within the school's technology and art departments combining their skills to design and construct a bespoke walking stand and parallel bars for Penny to use at said she was completely overwhelmed when they presented her with the piece of personalised equipment. "I just couldn't believe it," she said."I was very emotional to see it and I was just speechless."The fact that the school came together like this to help Penny along in her journey, just means so much."The walking aid was finished off with a special design of Penny's favourite cartoon characters, drawn by the school's art added: "How the girls decorated it was just fantastic and Penny just loved it, as soon as we got it home she went over to it straight away and she knew it was hers."She has been going from strength to strength and she's been taking more steps using it, she even dances on it now." Kyla, 13, one of the art pupils who worked on the equipment's design, said she really wanted to be a part of it when her art teacher told her about the project. "We really wanted to get involved and paint it, it made me really happy," she classmate Donatella also helped with the said: "I think our teacher knew we were good at art so she chose us to work on this special project, but it was just really nice to be involved."Clare has been taking regular videos of Penny using the equipment and showing it to school staff and pupils so they can also track her McGlinchey, a technology technician in the school, helped oversee the equipment's said: "It's just great seeing all the videos of Penny using it to practice her walking and even dancing it, It does your heart the world of good." "It's just been so lovely for the school to be involved in a project like this and for such a small gesture to make such a big difference," said principal Catherine several weeks of using the walking stand at home, Claire recently took Penny to an appointment with her physio Jayne."I was so pleased with the progress Penny had made, the number of steps that she is taking now before she tires has really improved and you could tell she was enjoying this new sense of independence," said Jayne."It is just so lovely to see the school community come together to support Penny."Just before the school year ended, Claire brought her daughter Penny into meet some of the students and staff who helped make her equipment."That was a really lovely moment, Penny was all excited to meet the girls who drew her cartoons and I wanted them to see the difference it has made to my wee girl's life," she said.
