Tracey

from wheelchair to equestrian podium

life turned upside down due to stroke

Tracey started working with FLOW in March 2021, three months after her life was turned upside down by a stroke.

The owner of a successful HR business and a mother of two in her early 50s, she went overnight from being a strong-willed competitive horse rider to being paralysed waist-down on one side and unable to walk or drive. She had to start using a wheelchair and of course could no longer ride her horse.

Tracey struggled to cope with this traumatic turn of events and loss of everyday freedoms, and then — in a further twist — doctors discovered while treating her that she had a small hole in her heart which could have proved fatal later in life.

Although a blessing in disguise, she needed an operation to repair the hole and so now faced the double challenge of recovering from the effects not only of the stroke but also the surgery.Gone was her daily routine — which had always begun with time spent on horseback — and she began to put on weight. Hospital physiotherapy helped her recovery to some extent, but she was frustrated with her progress and decided to push herself harder.FLOW founder Andrew Walls was already working with Tracey’s husband Mark, so he was the obvious choice. Andrew primarily focused on three weekly personal training sessions at their home, working on strengthening Tracey’s full body with particular emphasis on regaining movement she had lost following the stroke.

gone was her daily routine

back in the saddle

He then added wellness coaching into Tracey’s program, helping her to develop self-awareness and build the positive habits needed to consolidate sustained behaviour change alongside her natural will-power and commitment to exercise.

Fast forward to today, and in a little over a year Tracey has won back all that she had lost: she no longer needs a wheelchair, she can walk unaided, drive, and she can even complete short runs.

And she’s back in the saddle, competing in equestrian competitions and even taking a silver medal in one.

‘Tracey’s success is testament to her mental strength and consistent effort to keep going through all the ups and downs.’

Coach andrew

‘When I first started working with Andrew and FLOW, I was still reliant on a wheelchair and coping with becoming sedentary overnight. The weight was creeping up and my movement was limited.

A year on, and working with Andrew has seen me lose kilos and inches and I am heading towards being in even better shape than I was before I had the stroke. I can’t recommend Andrew and FLOW highly enough.’

Tracey

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