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Woman Competing In Triathlon Suffers Freak Illness And Discovers She Can Only Walk In High Heels

Woman Competing In Triathlon Suffers Freak Illness And Discovers She Can Only Walk In High Heels

The condition leaves her in a lot of pain but she's determined to take part in an Ironman competition next year

A dancer who was left requiring a wheelchair due to a rare neurological disorder has since gone on to discover she can only walk normally when wearing high heels. You can see how that works here:

Yasmine Gibb had not long taken part in her first ever sprint triathlon in May when she suddenly began to experience severe pains in her stomach and had to be rushed to hospital, where she was told she had a kidney infection and sent home with antibiotics. 

But just days later her legs started to ‘give way’ beneath her and she struggled to walk. 

After undergoing tests, she was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder, which affects the functioning of the nervous system.

The condition means Yasmine needs to use a wheelchair to get around while she faces a six-month wait for treatment, but she has - somewhat bizarrely - discovered that she can walk normally if she wears high heeled shoes. 

Kennedy News and Media

Yasmine, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: "Everything has come crashing down at once, which is quite scary.

"I did my first triathlon at the end of May. It was something I'd been wanting to do for a while.

"I've been a dancer my whole life. I was an Irish dancer for about 20 years and I work as a food and beverages manager at a 320-bedroom hotel.

"[When I heard the diagnosis] I was expecting I'd be stuck in a chair for life and that was me. I was freaking out.

"I was super surprised that the heels made it easier to walk.

Kennedy News and Media

"It was probably because I was concentrating on the heels or because I was a dancer and used to standing on my toes for so long.

"I don't usually wear heels, I'm a trainers and Doc Martens girl through and through, but I think I'll be wearing them more often now."

Despite her diagnosis - and the pain she has to live with - Yasmine says she is determined to try a half Ironman next year. 

​​"My legs are still bad,” she said. 

“I went to the park in a wheelchair this week. I can wander a little bit but I'm in a lot of pain afterwards.

Kennedy News and Media

"I'm in a wheelchair most of the time now but the aim is to not be.

"Unfortunately there isn't a plan for my treatment. The neurologist said I could wait up to six months because they have a long list to see.

"My aim was to do a half Ironman next year but we'll see. You never know. Miracles have happened."

Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Topics: UK News, Health