Wednesday 8 June 2022 11:13 PM Grandmother-of-eight, 70, able to go on long walks and rollercoasters after ... trends now
A grandmother-of-eight is able to go on long walks and 94 mph rollercoasters for the first time in two years after an operation to repair her paralyzed diaphragm allowed her to breathe normally again.
Becky Smeltz, 70, from Ohio, lost 30lbs in a month in 2019 after an 'excruciating' pain leaving her unable to eat or sleep erupted in her diaphragm.
Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic diagnosed Smeltz with nerve system disorder neuralgic amyotrophy which had paralyzed her diaphragm, a muscle beneath the lungs that helps regulate breathing.
She was initially told it would clear up in six months, but when this did not happen they performed surgery a year-and-a-half later to tie down the muscle.
Smeltz, who also has three children, said she felt better 'immediately' after the operation and went back to her old activities in weeks — including riding rollercoasters at Cedar Point theme park, Ohio, with her grandchildren.
Paralysis of the muscle is uncommon, but when it happens the lung capacity is reduced to about 70 percent of normal. In most cases, it clears up on its own but in cases where this does no occur surgery may be needed.
Becky Smeltz, 70, from Ohio, was left unable to eat or sleep after a persistent 'excruciating' pain erupted in her abdomen in 2019. But after an operation the grandmother was able to go back to riding rollercoasters at Cedar Point in Ohio with her eight grandchildren (pictured)
The family favorite is the Millennium coaster (shown above) which can go up to 94mph
Smeltz was initially told by doctors to wait six months to see whether the condition would right itself. When that did not happen she was signed up for surgery - but had to wait two years
Smeltz said she had been taking her grandchildren — who are aged 10 to 20 years old — on rollercoasters for years.
The family's favorite coasters are the Millennium at Cedar Point theme park, which goes up to 94 miles per hour (mph) and the Steel Vengeance which goes at 74 mph.
'From the time they were tiny, I wanted all of [my grandchildren] to love riding rollercoasters and having fun at amusement parks,' she said.
