Avid horse rider Alvina Shiel was attempting a new jump manoeuvre at a riding school when she suffered a devastating fall.
She broke her neck and damaged her spinal cord to such an extent that from the waist down.
The 70-year-old old grandmother was faced with the prospect of spending the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair.
"I have ridden horses since my teenage years and had recently enjoyed riding alongside my daughter Shelley," said Alvina, recalling the events of August 10, 2018.
"For years we were 'happy hackers' but then decided to join a riding school and learn some new techniques.
"It was while trying a jump that I got it all wrong and went straight over my horse's head. I landed badly and broke two vertebrae in my neck and sustained spinal cord damage that left me in a wheelchair and paralysed from the waist down."
Alvina, from Carmarthen , was taken to Bristol Southmead Hospital before being transferred to the spinal unit at Salisbury Hospital.
When she finally left the unit in December 2018, she said she could do very little after becoming wheelchair-bound and needing to be hoisted everywhere.
"I was told I wouldn't progress further," she added.
Undeterred by her poor prognosis, Alvina managed to get six NHS-funded rehabilitation sessions at Neurokinex, a specialist spinal cord injury centre in Bristol.
"I could do virtually nothing and couldn't stand or walk [when I started]," said Alvina, originally from Clevedon, Somerset.
"I focused on building my upper body strength using a hand bike and skiing machine, lifting weights and doing boxing and punching moves."
She said gaining strength in her upper body allowed her to move from one chair to another and give her more independence.
"My exercises were supported in a standing position. It felt so good to be standing upright, especially after months of being sat down and being told I wouldn't stand or walk again."
Alvina has now progressed to standing for short periods of time unaided - and has even taken some tentative steps.
"I took my first steps supported in a harness that took a lot of my body weight as I learned how to walk again," Alvina said.
"Over time, the harness has been adjusted so I took more and more of my own body weight to the point I can now stand and take a few steps with the support of a frame."
Alvina said her progress enabled her to get back on her horse on August 12 this year.
“It was pretty much one year one from my accident," she said.
"My trainer Matt came along to help which was amazingly good of him. It was a fantastic feeling to get back into the saddle – to re-establish that lovely connection with my horse was simply wonderful."
As she approaches the Christmas build-up, Alvina said she is very aware how different this year's festivities will be.
"Last year, one week before Christmas, I was virtually helpless. I was also very weak and ill - I could barely do anything. This year I plan to write all my own cards and help prepare the house."
Alvina also hopes, over time, to get more strength and stamina so she can start to ride more regularly, go further and for longer.
But one challenge she has is getting up onto her horse which currently requires the help of several people.
"Shelley has found a hoist that can be attached to a lorry that will help get me on horseback more easily and safely - but it costs £4,000," said Alvina.
"Undeterred, Shelley set up a JustGiving Fundraising page for me. Donations are coming in steadily, but we have a long way to go still."
To support Alvina's bid to buy a hoist, go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/alvina-shiel
