Ahh man, this is a feel-good story if ever there was one. Former Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon, whose professional sporting career was cut short after suffering a devastating spinal injury during a match in 2014, has revealed the joyous moment where he stood upright to marry his new bride, Teigan Power.
McKinnon was left a quadriplegic after an illegal spear tackle left him with fractures to his C4 and C5 vertebrae on the 24th of March, 2014. In the three-and-a-half years since, he’s worked tirelessly not only on his own rehab, but as a motivational speaker as well.
While in hospital after the initial injury in 2014, McKinnon proposed to then-girlfriend Power. Fast forward to their wedding day a little while ago, and McKinnon surprised his bride by standing for the entire ceremony.
The photos are in the new issue of New Idea and they are bloody beautiful, with even Teigan reportedly surprised he was able to hold himself upright for that amount of time.
McKinnon posted a photo from the day on Instagram, stating it took three years of “EVERYTHING I’ve got in me” to be able to stand with his wife on their big day.
There’s triumph-over-adversity, and then there’s this next-level stuff. Truly inspiring effort.
Here’s to you, Alex and Teigan. Cute as a button, the pair of ya.
