parenting

"Lying in a hospital bed having found out he was paralyzed Chris Palmer thought about how he never would be able to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. But on Saturday (21/5), almost four years later, Mr Palmer has done just that. With the help of a £90,000 robotic device, the 55-year-old father walked down the aisle, alongside his daughter Heather handing her over to her fiancé Christopher Halls. "It's wonderful I can do this – it's fulfilling something that dads do," said Mr Palmer, who was told he would never be able to walk again in June 2012 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

"When I lay in hospital after the operation, one of the first things I thought about was my daughter's wedding and how I wasn't going to be able to walk her down the aisle." But then about a year ago, Heather, spotted an article about a company called Rex Bionics which gave her hope. The company has invented an exo-skeletal suit called Rex which enables paralyzed people to walk and stand without assistance. Heather got in touch with Rex Bionics and Chris was given an opportunity to try out the equipment."