Dyl & Friends

← Dyl & Friends26 Jul · 27 min

Five years after everything changed | Alexa Leary

Five years after everything changed | Alexa Leary26 Jul27 min

This week I'm joined by two-time Paralympic gold medallist, author, musician and life of the party, Alexa Leary.

Just days after the five-year anniversary of the cycling accident that changed her life, we both lined up in the La Roche-Posay 10K at Run Melbourne. On recovery day, Alexa joined me in the studio to talk about the amazing journey she's been on since that day in 2021.

Doctors told Alexa's family she wouldn't survive. If she did, they believed she'd never walk or talk again. Instead, Alexa rebuilt her life from the ground up; relearning everyday tasks, returning to the pool through rehabilitation, and, just three years later, standing on top of the Paralympic podium in Paris.

But this conversation isn't just about what happened in 2021. It's about who Alexa is today.

We talk:

What happened on the day of Alexa's cycling accident

Being told she'd never walk or talk again

Relearning everyday life after a traumatic brain injury

Losing five years of memories and rebuilding her identity

Why she says she's "living a second life"

The road from rehabilitation to two Paralympic gold medals

The ongoing reality of living with an invisible disability