Lisa Cooney had made it halfway up the hill when she broke down and cried.
The 38-year-old had been trying to climb a steep and rugged trail with the hope of reaching the next wooden platforms in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove to go zip lining, but she felt she couldn’t go any further.
“I threw down my helmet and my glasses,” said Cooney, who was being led along the 2 1/2-hour course by the guides at North Atlantic Zip Lines. “I knew I wasn’t getting up there. I felt defeated.”
Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, she rarely felt like that.
The disease has severely affected her mobility, her ability to lift her left leg, and her balance, muscle control and stamina these last few years, but Cooney’s independent nature and determination always prompted her to push forward and stay positive.
But on this hot and humid July day, as she sat on the ground, sweat pouring from her body and tears dripping down her cheeks, she felt the disease had gotten the best of her.
“I got to a point where I couldn’t get my leg over those rocks anymore,” said Cooney, of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, who agreed to go zip lining when her sister, who was visiting from Sudbury, Ont., suggested it. “I was done.”
Cooney refused help several times from guide Phil Smith, who stayed with her throughout the trek. She had agreed to go on his quad to start the course and actually enjoyed that, but she didn’t want to have to be physically carried.
“For anybody who’s had to grieve the loss of independence, allowing people to help you is an extremely difficult thing to do,” said Cooney, who got a car with hand controls rather than be told she couldn’t drive.
“I’m a very independent person and I don’t want anyone doing things for me.”
But with a calm and reassuring tone, Smith got her to let her guard down. In that second, he crouched down and lifted her on his back.
“I’m 214 pounds. I’m not a little tiny thing, but he picked me up like I was five pounds. Then suddenly, we were at the time,” Cooney said with excitement in her voice, recalling that moment.
“I started to cry. You will never know what you just did for me. He was the first person I allowed to help me on that level. I didn’t have to give in, but he did it in such a way that made me feel like I wasn’t a burden. He made me feel so comfortable accepting his help. I was so at ease and feel he was there for me.”
After going through the nearly dozen zip lines on the course, Cooney was ecstatic to have completed something she never thought possible.
“It was out of this world! I can’t even explain what that day was like for me. It was one of the most amazing experiences in my life,” she said.
“This man opened my eyes to so much. People need to know that just because you’re disabled, you’re not dead … and it’s OK to accept help along the way.”
Cooney later expressed her excitement and gratitude about her experience on her Facebook page, which included many photos of her along the course.
As for Smith, he was humble about what he did. When asked why he picked Cooney up, he simply replied, “Why not?”
He was just glad Cooney had a good time.
“After Line 2, she was so excited and said, ‘I did it! I can’t believe it!’ Just the look on her face was fantastic,” said Smith, a slight man with a big smile. “She had a wonderful spirit to her and she was doing so well, rather than lose that momentum, I just picked her up. In the end, she had an absolute blast.”
Smith pointed out that while the company has accommodated some people with physical disabilities, the terrain of the course is such that they can’t always do it, as they are limited to what they can do.
But he’s glad he and his two helpers — Dawson O’Toole Didham and Nick Hanlon — could be there for Cooney.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like for her,” Smith said. “We take a lot of things for granted and don’t realize sometimes that the easiest things for us is the most difficult time for others. It’s a real eye-opener.”
Twitter: TelyRosie
