New Hampshire Woman Paralyzed In Sledding Accident Grateful For Outpouring Of Support
BOSTON (CBS) - Caroline Adams fights back tears. The 31-year-old suffered a severe spinal cord injury while sledding on a popular hill in New Hampshire earlier this month.
"I couldn't feel anything," Adams said. "It doesn't take a genius to know that you are paralyzed."
Caroline and her husband Chris took a photo at the top of the hill right before the accident. "It's crazy when you think about it. It's the last photos of me standing," she said.
Caroline took cell phone video of her husband going down the hill. Shortly after, she followed on her sled and accidently hit a jump in order to avoid some children walking alongside the trail. Her husband said the jump sent her eight feet into the air and she landed on her back.
"I never saw it coming, I never saw the jump. And I do remember the sky was so blue that day. I had this moment of clarity, time stopped, I am in trouble, and this is not going to end well," she said.
Adams was MedFlighted to Lahey Hospital in Burlington where she underwent a nine-hour surgery. She is now paralyzed. "Basically, from my bellybutton down. I can feel nothing, I can't lift my legs. I can't flex any muscles," she said.
For past week she's been rehabbing at Spaulding Hospital. It's been tough, but she's fighting through the pain hoping to walk again one day. "I like to win, so I will push until I cannot push anymore," she said.
Caroline says she will spend the next six weeks rehabbing at Spaulding. Meanwhile her husband Chris is busy rehabbing their home in New Hampshire making it wheelchair accessible. They both know life will be a lot different, but they are thankful for the outpouring of love which they desperately need. "It's huge. I know the medical expenses and I am also a dentist, so I need to buy all new equipment for hand powered tools. Refitting the bathrooms doesn't come cheap," she said.
An online fundraiser has been set up and support keeps pouring in. And on this Valentine's Day she is so thankful for her husband's love. "The best decision I ever made was marrying him," she cried.
And the care she's receiving from others. "I couldn't believe I went from that morning walking to not walking and I wish I would have appreciated it more. Take the time to appreciate what you have," she said.
