Texas Cheerleader Makayla Noble 'Instantly' Knew She Was Paralyzed in Accident

Makayla Noble, the Texas high school cheerleader who suffered a freak accident while practicing for homecoming, has said she knew "instantly" that she was paralyzed.

The Prosper resident severely injured her spinal cord in the accident, which occurred on September 20. Since then, she has spent almost two months in the hospital and rehab.

Noble was practicing tumbling—a gymnastic discipline that involves acrobatic maneuvers, such as flips, jumps and twists, that are performed without the use of apparatus—when the accident happened.

In an interview with KPRC 2 Houston on Wednesday, Noble, 17, said the timing for a stunt she was doing felt "off" when she injured herself.

"I instantly knew that I was paralyzed," Noble said.

But the teenager, who is a world champion cheerleader, does not like to dwell on her accident and is fighting to recover whatever range of motion she can get back.

"Staying strong in my faith and just trusting in Him has gotten me through," Noble told KPRC 2 Houston.

After several weeks of rehabilitation, the teenager can now lift her arms, hold a paintbrush and also has feeling in her legs.

Thousands of people have been following Noble's story on social media, with the family posting regular updates about her progress.

Matt Davis, Noble's doctor at the TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital in Houston, said her story is helping to show people that spinal cord injuries are not always as limiting as people assume.

"I think there's a lot of misunderstanding, a lot of underestimating what's possible with a disability," Davis told KPRC 2 Houston. "That's not a hopeless situation. There's a lot of hope that can be had with that."

Davis also said the measure of success for every patient with a spinal cord injury is different and the ultimate goal is not always to walk again.

In the interview, Noble also said she is thankful to be alive and will finally be able to return home in time for Thanksgiving.

In an update posted to the Facebook group "Makayla's Fight" on Thursday, the teen's mother said: "I am headed home to get things prepared for Mak's arrival next week! Greg & Myriah are continuing training and learning all they can to care for Mak once home."

Noble also recorded a video message for all of her followers.

"I go home so soon, I'm super excited just to be home. I haven't been home in seven or eight weeks, which is a long time. And I'm so excited to see my pets and friends and family," she said.