It’s been 11 months since Olympic champion Amy Van Dyken-Rouen’s spine was severed in an all-terrain vehicle crash in Arizona, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. Though Van Dyken-Rouen said she planned to not spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, very few expected her to make such quick progress to the point that she is now able to stand on her own.<\/p>\n
In a video posted to her Instagram account on Monday, Van Dyken-Rouen is shown rising from a chair with no help — though the hands of several physical therapists are inches away in case she faltered. She gets to her feet and holds it for about five seconds before sitting and eliciting a “Yay!” at the end of the video.<\/p>\n
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