'I could still feel my body but I couldn't move': Former US Olympic high jumper who was paralysed attempting to do a backflip explains how he is lucky to be alive in emotional video from his hospital bed

Jamie Nieto, 39, who was paralyzed in a training accident at the weekend, spoke from his hospital bed in California on Wednesday, thanking God that he is alive and explaining how he fell on his head. 



The athlete said in a Facebook video that he slipped while trying to do a backflip, landing on his head. A disc in his neck hit a nerve and paralyzed him. 'A lot of things come into perspective when something like this happens, and it makes you realize that stuff like this can happen to anybody,' he said. 'You have to take advantage of your times and your life and enjoy and embrace your loved ones, and be the best person you can be.'