Not too long ago, a five-pound weight might as well have been 50 pounds for Mary Mayo.
"We had to use her little belt that's on her wheel chair right here," explains personal trainer, Sandie Livaudis. "She couldn't hold herself upright."
But her workouts at Anytime Fitness in Mandeville are paying off.
"I'm using muscles I haven't used in years, and that's good," Mayo said.
It's not just improving her physical strength. Livaudis sees mental and emotional changes, too.
"She's very strong, confident," she said. "There's self esteem."
It's a huge change for Mayo, who was bedridden for the last four and a half years. She worked as a St. Tammany sheriff's deputy and was paralyzed nearly 11 years ago when a tree fell on her patrol car during a funeral procession for another deputy. Her fiance, Beau Raimer, died in the accident.
"Being in a bed for four-and-a-half years, you can't fathom," Mayo said.
One person who helped get Mayo moving again is fire fighter Ryan Mast. The two met in February and became fast friends. Mast invited Mayo to compete with him in the Crescent City Classic with his group, Flags to the Finish.
Flags to the Finish is made up of fire fighters and law enforcement officers who race in full gear, supporting different causes.
"She was loving every minute of it, and people the whole time, 'thank you for your service, thank you for your service,'" he said of race day.
They were hard not to notice. Mast races in full fire gear. Mayo was riding in a special racing chariot.
"I thought we were going to be lagging behind, you know, in the slow section. We were not in the slow section," Mayo said with a smile.
Mayo is also back in the fast lane behind the wheel of her own SUV. The Northshore community rallied behind the former deputy, and helped to raise $60,000 for a Ford Explorer she can driver herself.
"It has changed my life totally," she said with emotion. "The vehicle, I can't thank the community enough."
With the car, came a job. She now works for Mast's company, Louisiana Pure, which is a water filtration provider. She also got a service dog named Willow, and she helps Mary get through the day.
"It all ties in together, and everything just sort of fell into place," she said.
Mast and Mayo have a bigger challenge ahead. They're flying to New York on Friday to compete in the Buffalo Marathon, which is taking place on Sunday. Mayo can't believe she's going.
"Making it across a full marathon -- this is big for me!" she said.
This time, Mayo is helping someone else. Timmy Richardson, 16, is battling cancer and wants to be a fire fighter when he grows up, so Mast and Mayo are running the race in his honor and surprising him with a visit. The trip is something she couldn't imagine a few short months ago. It's something she's very proud of.
"It took a long time to get here," Mayo said.