Runner who blamed her aching legs on a half marathon is devastated to be diagnosed with MS and virus which has paralysed her

Monique Smith, 48, from Maine, regularly ran long distance races. But after finishing a half marathon (left, pictured with her friend), she was paralysed. 




The mother-of-three initially put her painful legs down to down to her body recovering. But when the pains intensified, she went to hospital and was devastated by the results. Tests discovered she had MS and inflammation of the spinal cord - called transverse myelitis which left her paralysed (right). Medics battled to reverse her symptoms, performing a procedure to replace the plasma in her blood (inset) but it failed. Now she has come to accept life in a wheelchair. She said: 'It was very hard on me. I was depressed for a long time and used to cry all the time but I slowly started adapting.'