Norwich surgeon is named BBC Sports Unsung Hero for the East

Rachael Hutchinson received her BBC Sports Unsung Hero for the East from Look East's Shaun Peel

A surgeon who runs a gym for people with disabilities has been named as BBC Sports Unsung Hero for the East region.

Rachael Hutchinson co-founded the Able2B gym in Norwich with former professional boxer Jon Thaxton five years ago.

The orthopaedic consultant has been described as a miracle worker by the mum of a 19-year-old she is helping.

She will join regional unsung heroes from across the UK at BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Rachael Hutchinson was the first female orthopaedic surgeon to take up a consultant post at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital surgeon helps people with conditions, disabilities and injuries to do things they never thought were possible.

Ms Hutchinson said the gym empowers people and added: "A lot of people with chronic diseases are medicalised and labelled by their condition.

"I want people to understand all of the abilities they still have."

Ms Hutchinson has given Harvey Blane hope he can walk again after a brain bleed

One of dozens of people she helps at the gym is 19-year-old Harvey Blane, who lost the use of his left arm and leg when knotted arteries caused a bleed on the brain.

It came out of the blue as he was getting ready to go to work Dunston Hall Hotel's gym, just outside Norwich.

He collapsed at home and was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where a surgeon saved his life with minutes to spare.

Ms Hutchinson and the Able2B team helped Harvey to put that life back together, and she has told him he will walk again.

"Rachael believes in me," said Mr Blane.

"At first I thought I wouldn't get better, that I'd be like this forever, but Rachael pushes me because she knows I can do it, and when I get there the feeling is amazing."

His mum Sholeh described the surgeon as a miracle worker

Her determination to get him on his feet is the positive attitude that his parents craved, after being told by health professionals that it might not be possible.

Mr Blane's mother Sholeh was close to tears watching Rachael guide her son as he took baby steps across the gym floor.

"It's like magic. She's a miracle worker. She gives me so much hope that I didn't have before," she said.

Providing hope carries a weight of responsibility, but Ms Hutchinson said she was comfortable with that.

"People need to explore and discover and fail sometimes to know who they are and where they can go," she said.

"It's OK to aspire."

The sight of the gym's punchbag was almost too much for Sandra Ross on her first visit, now she is a regular

Another gym regular is Sandra Ross, 75, who is trying to get her mobility back after a stroke.

She said: "When I came here the first time I saw the punchbag and said to my husband, 'Get me out of here, this isn't for me', but now you can't keep me away.

"If it wasn't for Rachael I'd be sitting at home in a pity pit."

Kelly Newsome loves coming to the gym after an operation to help her walk again

Many of the gym members were treated by Ms Hutchinson, including Kelly Newsome from Great Yarmouth who has cerebral palsy.

The surgeon operated on her curved feet to make them flat and is now helping her to walk again.

"Rachael has changed my life. I never felt like I belonged anywhere before, but coming here is like being in a big family," she said.

Former boxer and gym co-founder Jon Thaxton said Ms Hutchinson is "one hell of a person and deserves so much"

Able2B co-founder Mr Thaxton runs the gym and leads boxing-themed fitness sessions.

He described Ms Hutchinson as the powerhouse of the partnership, who works tirelessly for no money to make it happen.

He said: "She is one hell of a person, phenomenal, and she deserves so much.

"Everyone who comes here has a story to tell of where they were and where they are now. Nine and a half times out of 10 it's a story of success."

Ms Hutchinson is one of 15 regional finalists hoping to take the national title at the during BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards at Media City is Salford on 19 December.

The programme is on BBC1 from 19:00 GMT.

Able2B is a gym aimed at empowering people with chronic diseases and injuries