When Sheila Pirie moved into a care home last year, she had given up hope on ever being able to walk again.

The 73-year-old had just spent eight months in hospital for renal failure and developed a spinal abscess as a result of an infection. This resulted in paralysis from the waist down.

Moving into the Balhousie Coupar Angus Care Home last August, Sheila had given up hope on ever being able to walk again, a difficult prospect to come to terms with after being used to the independence of living on her own.

"I was hopeless," she says. "I was being hoisted everywhere, I couldn't get out of bed, I couldn't do anything for myself. Nothing."

The mother-of-four who has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren never once imagined she would be back on her feet just months later.

Nor did she think she would be taking part in a World Walking Group and 'virtually walking' from Coupar Angus to the Gold Coast in Australia.

It has not been an easy journey for Sheila who has been receiving kidney dialysis three times a week for more than five years after being diagnosed with renal failure.

The problems with her mobility began in December 2016, after she admitted to Ninewells Hospital where doctors discovered a huge gallstone.

She had surgery to try and remove it but she collapsed in theatre and doctors were unable to remove the gallstone.

"I've had a few bad turns since then where they didn't know whether I was going to make it or not but I pulled through," Sheila says.

"Then I got an abscess on my spine which caused the damage. I was paralysed from the waist down and couldn't do anything at all."

The remarkable recovery began when a nurse at the care home, Kate Barry, suspected Sheila was experiencing some form of nerve regeneration after she described shooting pains in her legs, which had previously been completely numb.

After a diagnosis was confirmed by a physiotherapist and a doctor, Kate and the team at the care home started Sheila on a course of physiotherapy to help strengthen the muscles in her arms and legs.

"Kate kept on saying 'we are going to get you walking'," Sheila says, recalling her early days of physiotherapy in the care home where she was given exercises to do five times a day.

While staying at her son's over Christmas, Sheila was helped by her family members to walk very short distances, and took confidence in their encouragement about her improvements.

"When [my son] got me back into the lounge, he said 'Mum, there's no reason why you can't walk because we were hardly holding you at all.'

"He made me think about it."

Once back at the care home, Sheila watched her fellow residents walking with tri-wheeler walker mobility aids and decided to ask if she could try one.

Within ten minutes, the staff had one at the ready with Kate and the enthused team ready to help Sheila.

"They walked me along the corridor, brought me back and said 'right, that's your walker' and I have walked with it ever since," she says. "I have never went back to the zimmer.

"I feel I have got my independence back because I did live on my own until I went into hospital and I feel now I am getting somewhere.

"With the staff from the home and the physiotherapists, I've got my life back."

She adds: "The [care home workers] pushed me because when I came here, I really had given up."

Watching the progress on a day-to-day basis, Kate has been determined to help and support Sheila, saying her recovery has surpassed the team's expectations of what they thought would be possible.

"When Sheila was first admitted, she was in a wheelchair, obviously not walking at all and very poor upper body strength as well," she says.

"We thought she would be hoisted everywhere, she would stay in a wheelchair. It is even beyond our expectations what she has achieved."

Looking back, she says it was Sheila's description of the "electric shock" style pains in her leg that marked a turning point.

"Once she started getting that, I said 'we will get you walking again'. That was my thing to get Sheila back up on her feet again.

"She has done all her exercises. She has, at times, needed to be pushed a little bit because she gets tired but all the carers know her exercises.

"But it has been her determination, and everybody supporting her in that and jollying her along."

Not only has Sheila managed to get back on her feet, she is now also inspiring others in the care home in Perthshire by taking part in initiatives like the World Walking Group.

For the past two months, residents, relatives and staff have been wearing pedometers and recording their steps with a target of 35 million steps needed to achieve their 'virtual journey' goal of walking to the Gold Coast in Australia where the Commonwealth Games is currently underway.

Taking part in the experience has helped build Sheila's confidence and focused her on the next challenge of regaining enough strength to allow her to walk unaided.

"One of these days, that is going as well," Sheila says, pointing at her walker. "I am determined. I will make it.

"You have got to push yourself to get there."

She also hopes her own story will spur on other pensioners to take part in future walking challenge, with Kate adding that Sheila's attitude has been a real inspiration to both staff and residents in the care home.

"You think maybe coming into a care home, that is the end of things for you, the end of life," Kate says.

"Sheila has proved the opposite in that she has just surpassed all expectations and is walking again and is fabulous.

"That's why everyone has been determined because they could see her progress week on week so it has been fantastic and really uplifting for the staff."