I was paralyzed and thought I couldnt walk again now Im running my first half marathon

Shaunta-Maé Alexander had a long journey to the start line of Sunday’s United Airlines NYC Half, not just because she’s from Sacramento, Calif.The 35-year-old children’s book author and aspiring actress has overcome a lifetime of illnesses — even paralysis — to run her first half marathon.More than 27,000 athletes are expected to take the 13.1-mile tour of Brooklyn and Manhattan hosted by New York Road Runners.Alexander is part of the organization’s Athletes with Disabilities program, and she will be guided in the race by Tunde Oyeneyin.

The Brooklyn-based Peloton instructor inspired Alexander to learn to walk again and helped hone her athletic abilities.“I was part of the Peloton community, and I saw all of these people in the community running races and doing all of these things,” Alexander told The Post.“I told God,” she continued, “if he could restore my walking, my movement, then I would walk like I’ve never walked before.I would run like I’ve never run before, and I would dance like I’ve never danced before.”Alexander, who grew up in foster care, said her first major health issue emerged when she was 9 years old.She started having stomach pains and trouble keeping food down.

The problems got worse — and she was hospitalized at 12 while attempting to go out to eat.“I could not get out of the car because the pain was excruciating,” Alexander recalled.“I couldn’t stand up, I couldn’t catch my breath.”Finally, when she was in high school, Alexander was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that irritates and causes swelling in the digestive tract.The inflammation and ulcerations can spur nasty side effects like diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps and bloody stools.“I was the kid that had to have two bags, not just a backpack, but an extra bag with extra underwear, with diapers, with medicine, all these types of things, because I could not control my bowels and because at any point I could be in excrucia...