Claire Lomas, paralyzed athlete, completes London Marathon in bionic ReWalk suit

Claire Lomas was left paralyzed from the waist down after her horse threw her to the ground, breaking her neck, back and ribs at the 2007 Osberton Horse Trials in Notthinghamshire, England.

This week, she completed a marathon.

"It's a moment I am going to treasure for the rest of my life," Lomas told the BBC.

The 32-year-old Leicestershire woman was the first person in history to compete a marathon using the revolutionary bionic ReWalk suit.

Lomas walked two miles a day to complete the 26.2-mile route in 16 days. Her feat helped her raise more than $140,000 for the charity Spinal Research.

"I have had tremendous support since my accident which I am so grateful for, some don't have that," she said. "Some people lose the use of their arms as well. A cure needs to be found."

While she doesn't qualify to receive a medal — competitors have to complete the marathon in a single day to be eligible — her accomplishment is receiving international attention. Other runners in the race gave her their medals to recognize her incredible achievement.

"That medal, when you have completed it and gone through all the pain of it, symbolizes that achievement of what you have gone out of your way to do for charity," said Jacqui Rose, one of the runners who gave Lomas her medal.

"For her not to have got one ridicules what the marathon was all about."

The National Post reports that as she crossed the finish line on The Mall in central London, three mounted members of the Household Calvary gave Lomas a guard of honour.

The ReWalk suit "enables people with lower-limb paralysis to stand, walk and climb stairs through motion sensors and an onboard computer system," the Telegraph explains.

Last April, The Lighter Side shared a video of a "modern-day miracle" in which a man walks for the first time in 20 years thanks to the ReWalk Exoskeleton. Read that story here.

See pictures of Claire's feat here.