Riona Kelly, 37, suffered a stroke that left her paralysed from her waist down. And after only a few days in the hospital, her husband, Richard, decided to give up on their marriage.
According to her, that was the period she needed him the most and he left her to face her problems alone.
‘After my husband left me in hospital, my friend, Sarah, became
my next of kin, it was her and the children that supported me during my
recovery.
‘Looking back I was miserable in my marriage, but we had built a
life together and had responsibilities, It was the time I needed my
husband the most.’
The mother of four was told she would never walk again by the doctors
but she decided she wouldn’t give up and started spending hours in
physiotherapy sessions which she eventually took her first steps in the
parallel bar.
‘My consultant was very emotional, he couldn’t believe I had done
it with the help of a standing frame every day I built up my strength
and after four months in hospital I was finally allowed to go home, it
took me 25 minutes to get up 16 steps, and the same time to come back
down again, but I was determined to do it for my children.’
During her recovery, she fell in love with her personal trainer, Keith Mason,35, who stood by her all through the difficult moment.
‘After our sessions Keith and I stayed in contact, he would ask
me how I was getting on and our relationship blossomed from there. We
have now been together for 11 months, the children really like him and I
finally feel like I’m living the life I deserve.’
Her ex-husband, Richard however insists that their marriage had
already taken a turn for the worse before she suffered the stroke and
that he did try to be there for her.
‘Whilst she was in hospital, I visited as much as I could. But I
also had to take care of the children, look after the house and run a
business. I lived in the house with Riona and the kids until last June
before I eventually moved out, and we have now both moved on,’ he said.