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Yvonne's Path Through Paralysis

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May 31, 2013 started out as a normal day. I was visiting my boyfriend Andrew since summer just started. I had lugged my giant dog and mountain bike all the way from Wichita Falls via my small blue Tiburon. After having a lunch of mac-n-cheese with Andrew we went our separate ways - him up to the school for a project and me to River Legacy Parks for a ride on my bike. I got to the familiar trail head and mounted my bike. As I weaved through the trees I realized I had missed a section of the trail and decided I would make another lap. On the second time around I hit the EKG, determined to conquer the expert section that I had ridden before but always gave me trouble. This section requires the use of momentum to carry you over small hills and through the dips. It was during one such dip that I gathered too much speed and went sailing over the crest of a small bump at the bottom. My bike flipped, landing me straight on my back. Immediately my legs felt like static was coursing through them. I lay still assessing the damage. Considering I couldn't move, I knew I shouldn't try too hard. I called for help and eventually extricated the cell phone from my Camelbak. Within twenty minutes fire fighters were there. They loaded me into an ambulance and took me to Methodist Hospital in Dallas where I underwent four hour surgery to correct my broken back. I had never broken a bone before


Now, over two years later, I am fighting to recover from the paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury. I have no controlled movement or sensation below the top of my pelvis - yet. I have been going to physical therapy throughout the years and am now attending a wonderful facility called REACT. It is a non profit personal training gym for people with spinal cord injuries. Through REACT I have also come in contact with my acupuncturist who has started a Neurorejuvination program based off of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This program consists of doing acupuncture 3x a week and drinking herbal tea every evening for 9 months. I started the progarm on May 11 and am already seeing incredible recovery! At the end of 9 months the prognosis is that I will be WALKING. However the expense is overwhelming. Acupuncture is $120 per session and the herbs are $400 per month. Plus I'm doing two hours of training at REACT every week at $100 per hour, so over the course of 9 months I will spend over $25,000 on my recovery. I work full time and have been covering the cost of REACT for the past year but this hasn't given me the opportunity to save much and now I am in need of any assistance you can afford. Please consider donating to my recovery! 

After I recover I intend to go to grad school for a MS in Fisheries Science. I would like to have a career managing marine fisheries and keeping our oceans sustainable.
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Donations 

  • Lynda Staples
    • $50 
    • 7 yrs
  • Darin Winger
    • $50 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Katie Peterson
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Ryan Moody
    • $125 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Karen and Tommy Antle
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
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Organizer

Yvonne Michaud
Organizer
Grand Prairie, TX

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