Injured footballer Alex McKinnon has stood up on his own for the first time since his horrific spinal injury.
Newcastle Knights coach Rick Stone revealed the happy news today – the result of Alex’s months of hard work in rehabilitation.
“He’s just finished in his rehab and he actually stood up unabated the other day,” Rick said.
“He stood up on his own which is a terrific sort of step for Alex.”
Alex was injured on the field during Round 3 of the 2014 NRL Premiership Season in March last year after being felled by a tackle. The injury originally saw him placed in an induced coma having suffered severe spinal damage.
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Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Alex has been undergoing intense rehabilitation and making improvements along the way, with his dogged determination proving an inspiration to fans and football-novices alike.
Alex, 22, has spoken of his goal to one day walk again, and the NRL has rallied behind him, raising over $1.4 million towards the cause last just July as part of their ‘Rise for Alex’ campaign.
Alex on the field with his teammates during a special ‘Rise for Alex’ round in July last year
“Walking again is the main focus of mine,” Alex said in an interview with Who magazine.
“It’s obviously going to be a big challenge but it’s one that I am not willing to give up on.”
“I’ve done seven months of rehab now. It’s tough. Spinal-cord injury is an area where developments are being made. And I’m seeing small improvements.”
“It’s a very high injury and it limits you doing a lot of a things – at the start I couldn’t even feed myself.
“I definitely could not have done it without (his family).”
Alex’s teammates continue to stand behind him.
Despite not yet being able to play NRL himself, Alex will nonetheless continue to play an active role as part of the Newcastle Club, working alongside Rick as well as the Knights director of football, Michael Hagan and high performance coach Troy Pezet in recruitment.
“That’s going to be a great opportunity for Alex to get his teeth into something he really loves, footy,” Rick told Sky Sports Radio.
“He’s inspiring young men and everyone in the club will be really happy to see him back.”
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