Cory defies the odds on his big walk

Dalyellup teenager Cory Crombie beamed from ear to ear as he crossed the finish line on Sunday flanked by his family, having achieved his goal of walking 5km six months on from leaving hospital after a severe spinal injury.

The 15-year-old mustered all of his determination to finish the lap of the Leschenault Inlet without the aid of crutches in under an hour and 25 minutes, with 246 community members by his side.

Cory’s proud mother Shona said she was blown away by the community’s support.

“It is just amazing how people come together and the whole day has just been magic,” she said.

“I have no words for it, we didn’t predict this – we thought he would go to crutches. It is amazing what he can do.”

The event helped the family raise about $5500 to go towards his continued rehabilitation.

“This is huge for his rehabilitation, it gives us a bit of a break so we can focus on that rather than how to pay for it,” she said.

“A huge thanks to everybody for coming down, giving donations and getting behind him.”

It was also a huge day for two-year-old Toby Scheffner, who was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy at 10 months old, as he also crossed the line in support of Cory with his parents Claire and Kyle.

“Having other people joining in and achieving the goals is what we are all about and hopefully we can get more of it happening in the Bunbury area,” Mrs Crombie said.

Cory said the backing of the hundreds of walkers helped to get him over the line and admitted it felt like he had walked further than 5km. He has now set his sights on participating in the 2020 Paralympics, where he hopes to compete in wheelchair track.