Alice Biddle
From the moment she was born, Alice’s journey was shaped by adversity. Diagnosed with spina bifida occulta and a spinal lipoma that developed in the womb, she underwent multiple spinal surgeries growing up, the last of which, at age 23, left her paralysed from the waist down.
“Waking up feeling like shards of fire were piercing my legs was terrifying,” she recalls. “When the doctor said they weren’t sure I’d walk again, something in me just said - watch me.”
What followed was a gruelling period of rehabilitation. Alice threw herself into physio with fierce determination, slowly building strength and finding a spark of motivation through the story of Ed Jackson, which her hospital physio had shared with her.
“Ed’s Instagram became my comfort zone, proof that progress was possible. It gave me hope on the darkest days.”
Physically, Alice began to improve. But mentally, she hit her lowest point. With a new diagnosis of OCD and no support post-discharge, she felt completely lost.
“I didn’t want to be in the now,” she says. “There was no rehab, no structure, no purpose. I felt like I couldn’t go on, but I knew I couldn’t put my family through more.”
That’s when she reached out to Millimetres 2 Mountains.
“I had taken myself as far as I could. I was ready to keep going, but I needed help. I knew in my gut that M2M were the people who would embrace my inner ‘Athlete Alice’ and help me find what’s next.”
Since joining the programme, Alice has made huge strides, both physically and emotionally. Five months in, she’s walking more confidently with two crutches, building strength on varied terrain, and has found a sense of belonging with like-minded people.
“M2M has helped me feel safe again,” she says. “I’ve experienced the Slow Down retreat, I’ve made real friendships, and I have adventures ahead of me. But most of all, I feel like I’m learning who I am - and that’s exciting.”