It is a common medication given to women to ease the pain of giving birth. However, for a young woman receiving epidurals for back pain, it had disastrous consequences.

Mallory Weggeman, 20, has been paralysed from the waist down ever since she got an epidural less than two years ago. She has managed to become an elite world-class swimmer.

Weggeman and her family were devastated and hoped she would regain movement in her legs. She never did.

She was captain of the Eagan high school swim team her senior year and after graduation she started having terrible back pain.

"On January 21, 2008, I had an epidural injection for back pain," she said. "As a result, I'm now in a wheelchair. I never walked out that day."

Weggeman and her family were devastated and hoped she would regain movement in her legs. She never did.

"When it first happened it was the whole element of disbelief," said her father. "It's one of those things you really can't comprehend."

"I was really upset," she said. "I was confused. I asked the whole why me. I had a really hard time accepting it at first."

After weeks in the hospital and months of rehabilitation, her sister encouraged her to come to the University of Minnesota Aquatic Centre for the Paralympic trials.

"I had no idea paraplegics could swim," she said. "Being in the water again was so scary to me. I couldn't even imagine swimming again."

Weggeman soon overcame her fear with help from Coach Jim Andersen.

"She has made tremendous progress and just phenomenal development," he said.

It didn't take long for her to work up to speeds in meets which even made her coach forget her disability.

"I'll catch myself and I'll want to say kick and she just can't kick," Andersen said.

Weggeman was so fast she qualified for the Paralympic World Championship in Rio de Janeiro. She came home with 6 gold medals and she broke 5 world records.

"Now that I'm achieving all these goals of mine, it's just unbelievable and it shows anything's possible if you put your mind to it," she said.

(The End)