Paralyzed Athletes Overcome Obstacles In St. Paul

ST. PAUL (AP) — Several paralyzed athletes have been given the opportunity to leave their wheelchairs behind and take to the air at Twin Cities Trapeze Center.

Tresa Honaker, Dwayne Scheuneman and Angelique Lele were able to feel the sensation of fight for the first time since their spinal cord injuries.

Elizabeth Skwiot owns an aerial Pilates company. She invited Honaker to try aerial work for the first time since she was injured in a January 2012 accident. Scheuneman and Lele also joined in on the experiment.

Skwiot and the owners of Twin Cities Trapeze Center helped the wheelchair-bound athletes swing on trapezes and spin from ropes suspended in the air. All three say they were amazed to experience the mobility they thought they had lost.