We proudly present one of our Spike ambassadors! Say hi to Ronny Køiser.
Ronny is well-known for his willpower and love for outdoor sports. In 2015 he was involved in a paragliding accident which resulted in a severe Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
A healthy lifestyle was crucial for rehabilitation
Despite a long and grueling recovery period, Ronny’s mentality of “never giving up” kept him pushing the boundaries of recovery. Hard work pays off - after only two years of tough rehabilitation and training he surprisingly managed to take his first steps since the accident.
- I’ve always been active and healthy, but suddenly everything was turned upside down. The fall from 40 meters led to several broken bones in addition to internal injuries, and the recovery period was extremely tough, Ronny explains.
He is convinced that his active lifestyle was crucial for survival and not to mention the recovery.
- My muscles cushioned a lot of the pressure and protected vital organs. Endurance was important for survival, and adrenaline works better when your body is healthy - which was important in the early recovery stages.
Mentor at the rehab facility Catosenteret for recent SCI patients
Until recently, Ronny has shared his own experience from rehabilitation as a mentor for recent SCI patients at the rehab facility Catosenteret.
- I spent a lot of my time during rehabilitation at Catosenteret and I wanted to give something back. I find it very useful to show how things can be done in contrast to a physiotherapist telling you how to do it. Also, it is incredibly fun to see the reactions of the SCI patients as they progress, he says.
Activates the core muscles
We first met Ronny in 2017 at Ridderrennet - the world's largest annual winter sports week for people with visual or physical impairments. At this point, Spike was still a prototype but Ronny showed great interest in the early version and kept following the development. After launching Spike in 2019, Ronny was one of the first people to get a hold of his own.
- I love the way I can move using Spike. It gives me a full upper body workout, forcing me to challenge my core muscles, and it lets me be active outdoors. The latter is something that I have always appreciated; being active outdoors in nature, Ronny says.
I love the way I can move using Spike. It gives me a full upper body workout, forcing me to challenge my core muscles, and it lets me be active outdoors.
Aiming for new goals
Now he is aiming for his next goal: to be able to walk without crutches.
- It is important to set ambitious goals to have something to work towards. My best advice to others is to never be afraid of trying out something new. A lot of people set their own restrictions, but in the end the greatest limit is yourself, he expresses.
We believe this is something everyone can learn from. Lately, Ronny also went out of his own comfort zone. He could be seen in ads all over Norway on Clear Channel screens in public spaces such as metro stops or airports due to our collaboration with the organization Stiftelsen VI.
Here he showcased Spike along with Olympic medalist and professional skier Therese Johaug to promote activity together.
Check out the awesome video here 👇
We are thrilled to have Ronny as part of Team Spike. If you want to hear more from Ronny you can follow him on Instagram: @ronnykoiser