A wheelchair-bound man with cerebral palsy has been able to walk for the first time after joining a gym.
Damian Lesniak, of Stalybridge, joined Bolton Champions Boxing Club to make friends and build strength.
But in less than 12 months he has proved the ‘impossible’ by building up the motivation and body strength to walk using a walking frame.
Polish-born Damian, who was diagnosed with the condition which affects muscle control and movement when he was three- months-old, exercises twice a week at the gym for two and a half hours.
He said: “I started at the gym last March and since then my disability has improved a lot.
“Before I couldn’t walk. I could maybe take two or three steps and then I was tired. But now I can walk non-stop for 20 minutes with the support of a walking frame. This is more than I could ever have hoped for because I have been in a wheelchair since I was born.
“At 16, a doctor told me I would never walk again and I am doing this now to prove him wrong and to show people they should never give up. I am hoping in the future that I will be able to walk independent
