Wendy Garrett, a Salem fitness instructor, travels the world running marathons despite a spinal cord injury which renders the bottom part of her leg immobile.  She does it with the help of a special Swedish leg brace that allows her to run without issue, and so far she has run marathons across the globe including Paris, Sydney and New York. She most recently competed in Norway where she won the women’s Paralympic category.  When she isn’t running, Garrett works as a fitness instructor in Salem at Athletic Edge Gymnastics and Courthouse Club Fitness. She began her marathon adventures in 2013, three years after a motorized scooter crash on the island of Bermuda where she worked as a gym coach. The crash disabled the bottom part of her leg and doctor after doctor was unable to diagnose her condition.  She spent three years in a bulky leg brace unable to do any of the things she loves, including running.  It was the 25th doctor who told the Turner woman that she had a spinal cord injury and she was prescribed a new leg brace. The doctor wasn’t sure running was a good idea given her condition, but she had big plans.  “The day I took this home I put it on and I ran around the block right away. I’m glad I didn’t listen,” Garrett said. “If I’d listened to the doctor that said maybe not running I would have missed out on the last 11 years of crazy adventures and I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I didn’t trust what my heart was telling me what to do and to go for it.”  Wendy Garrett competing in a marathon in New York City. (Courtesy/ Wendy Garrett) Flash forward and Garrett has finished marathons on all seven continents with the exception of Antarctica.  But Garrett plans to cross Antarctica off of her list next winter. That will be summer in  Antarctica and she will run over snow and ice where penguins outnumber humans.  “I tend to like going to places that are a little bit colder. Not Antarctica. That’ll be a new cold,” Garrett said.  Garrett said while she loves running marathons, she also loves to see the world. She is supported by grants from organizations like the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which assist athletes with physical challenges in competing in athletic events.  She also gets funding from Allard, the Swedish company that makes the brace that changed her life 11 years ago. She was even fortunate enough to meet the company’s CEO while running in Oslo, she said.  Garrett’s goal is to visit as many countries as possible by running marathons. She said some cities on her radar include Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her favorites so far have been New York City, Paris and Oslo and she said people make running so exciting.  “It gives you hope in the human race a little bit. Especially when there’s things going on around the world, and you are looking around and you are seeing people from countries you’ve never heard of, but everyone is cheering each other on,” Garrett said. “I think it is a cool way to feel unity. I really enjoy it. It’s cool. You don’t know what they are shouting at you in their language. You don’t know what they are saying, but you know they are cheering you on.”  Garrett said she hears from others who are recovering from injuries and are in a period of uncertainty. Her advice for them is to not give up and to be their own advocate.  “The only disability in life is a bad attitude,” Garrett said, quoting American figure skater Scott Hamilton. “It reminds people that there is always something you can do and if you really want to accomplish it, you are going to find a way.”  Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE – If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Turner woman with spinal injury travels the world running marathons appeared first on Salem Reporter.