Makayla Noble, the Texas high school teenager who was paralyzed in a freak tumbling accident in 2021, has urged her fellow cheerleaders to "cheer like it's going to be your last time" every time they perform.
The 17-year-old Prosper resident suffered a severe spinal cord injury while practicing tumbling—an acrobatic form of gymnastics—in a friend's backyard on September 20, 2021.
The injury occurred when Noble tried to do a flip but landed on her neck, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down and unable to move her hands.
The teenager spent several weeks between the hospital and a rehabilitation facility before being allowed to return home. She is now undergoing several forms of therapy as her rehabilitation and recovery continues.
Since the accident, thousands of people have been following Noble's story online and the family has received an outpouring of support from members of their local community, but also from people living further afield and the wider cheer community in general.
After her family moved to Prosper, Noble joined the Cheer Athletics cheerleading program in Plano, Texas, earning a position on the world champion Cheetahs team.
In an interview with Varsity TV—operated by American cheerleading company Varsity Spirit—Noble said: "So my life has been pretty crazy these past few months, my life has kind of turned upside down. I went from being on Cheetahs and going fast-paced with life just in general to being in the ICU for about four weeks with a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed."
In the video, the 17-year-old expressed her gratitude to the "cheer world" for the support she has received.
"I can't thank you enough. It's been amazing. And I could not be as happy and positive and progress as much as I have without all of y'all. You mean the world to me, I promise," she said.
"My coaches have been over-the-top supportive, they've always been kind of like my parents... and this injury has really changed our relationship and just strengthened it. They've been with me every step of the way."
Noble also had some words of wisdom for her fellow cheerleaders.
"You never know what's going to happen in the future and I never thought this would happen to me. So, just cheer like it's going to be your last time every time every time you go on the floor. Just give it your all and give 110 percent, because you never know what's gonna happen."
