Sheree Palmer was exercising when her legs ‘went numb’

It started out as a typical day for Sheree Palmer. 
“It was a Monday. It was the first day my eldest son was starting school at secondary school,” Palmer, 63, tells 9honey.
“I remember saying to him, ‘I’ll walk you to the bus stop.’ He said, ‘No, no, Mum, you don’t have to, you don’t have to.’ And God, to this day, I wish I had.”
The Melbourne mum had undergone a knee operation three weeks earlier and began her daily rehabilitation exercises when her legs “went numb.”
READ MORE: Actor’s ex-wife engaged to billionaire heir after finalising divorce 
“I didn’t walk from that day forward.”
A first she thought she’d “broken a nerve or something.” She had no idea an embolism had travelled to her spinal cord and lodged there.
“I had to crawl to get to the phone to ring triple zero and wait for the ambulance, and I literally couldn’t move my legs so that was that,” she recalls.
“You don’t think that it’s going to be a lifelong thing that’s going to affect you forever.”
READ MORE: ‘Devastated’ band confirms singer’s death 
Her husband Michael met her at the hospital, where she was seen immediately.
“I stayed there for 10 days and it was pretty much a blur,” she says.
“Doctors in the hospital, they were kind of a bit perplexed as to what had happened so they went away and did some research.
“They came in and drew a thing on a whiteboard and they basically didn’t say it in so many words that it would never walk again, but they said this could be a lifelong problem for you.
“And of course, I didn’t believe it.”
Fourteen years later, she still doesn’t believe she will never walk again – and thanks to some extraordinary developments in spinal research, she may be correct.
Palmer joined the eWALK trial in 2023, a groundbreaking neurostimulation therapy funded by SpinalCure Australia and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).
The trial aims to help people with spinal cord injuries regain mobility by stimulating the spinal cord with electrical impulses.
Palmer tried out the technology, experiencing the sensation of walking for the first time in 14 years, describing it as both “exhilarating” and “emotional.”
“The stimulation goes through and you can feel the tingling and you can feel your toes and your feet sort of coming alive,” she says.
READ MORE: Our guide to the mattress toppers to match your sleeping needs
She was a perfect candidate for the trial, having dedicated herself to staying as physically and mentally healthy as possible and keeping herself informed of the latest research.
While the trial hasn’t permanently restored her ability to walk, she remains hopeful.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
For now, the family does their best to navigate their new normal.
Palmer’s paralysis begins at the top of her legs, she can still feel her pelvis. Seeing her son’s face when he first visited her in hospital made her determined to stay strong.
“I didn’t want it to affect them, so I tried to protect them as much as I could. So I didn’t really show any devastation, so to speak,” she says.
“But don’t get me wrong, there were moments when we’d go on holidays and I was young and they’d have to carry me somewhere, or lift me off a toilet or because I couldn’t get in, it wasn’t wide enough or whatever.
“My son would carry me. I’m lucky I’ve got two big strong boys. So it was pretty confronting.”
Over the years they’ve grown used to it.
“They’re very compassionate people,” she says of her boys Callan, now 29, and Langdon, now 26.
She never wants to forget what it feels like to walk and continues to hope.
“I’ve got my hand up, I’m ready. I can do it by lifting up very well by keeping up with my training,” Palmer says.
“So you can’t give up and that’s my mantra. I’m a very motivated person. I’ve always been an exercise person so I’m lucky in that respect.
“God willing I will walk again one day. I allow myself to dream of that.”
SpinalCure are looking for people to participate in the trial. For more information or to support their work visit: https://www.spinalcure.org.au/campaigns/projectsparkappeal/
Spinal Cure’s research will be supported at the upcoming Everest Long Lunch.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.