KEY POINTS:
Two-time world champion motocross rider Katherine Prumm is hoping to "con" her doctors into releasing her from hospital today - little more than a week after she suffered serious spinal injuries while training in West Auckland.
This time last week, Prumm didn't know if she would walk again after fracturing her back in three places in a crash.
Her recovery is testament to the grit and determination that took her to the top of her sport two years ago at the age of 18.
Yesterday, fitted with a breastplate, she ventured outside in the grounds of North Shore Hospital for the first time.
After bouncing back from an injury-plagued season, in which knee ligament damage and a broken collarbone derailed any chance of a third consecutive world crown, Prumm looked set to be in top form for next year.
She had recently got back on the bike and was feeling strong and confident.
But in a lapse of concentration during training, she mistimed a jump, landed heavily and plummeted 3m off the track. She landed head-first next to a creek, and the bike crashed on to her, breaking three vertebrae.
Medical staff at North Shore Hospital were faced with very delicate surgery.
"They weren't 100 per cent sure on what they were going to do with me," Prumm said.
The surgeons decided to fuse each of the broken vertebrae to stable ones above and below - an option that came with a risk of paralysis.
"Although I was relieved to be feeling my legs, I was warned that the surgery wasn't a guarantee. There was a high chance I could be paralysed when they were inserting the screws and for me that was my biggest concern - it was quite a worry going in to surgery," she said.
"It wasn't until I woke up on Sunday and moved my legs that I had a chance to relax a little bit and feel human again."
Prumm said she was still in a lot of pain and felt a bit "spaced out" from all the medication but was pleased with her progress.
It will be a long road to recovery for the 20-year-old, who will be in her "body armour" for at least three months.
Usually when Prumm makes a mistake during a race or has a crash, she spends hours reliving it in her head, trying to pinpoint where she went wrong.
But this time, her sights are solely set on making a full and speedy recovery.
"It hasn't come back and played on my mind. It's just one of those things - there's nothing I can do about it. I can't change what happened.
"I look at the positives from this - I'm just grateful I can move my legs and will hopefully be back to normal in three months."
Nor does Prumm wish to speculate on whether she will ride competitively again.
"I'm just fully focused on my recovery. There's no pressure on me to do anything at this stage."
