A woman has revealed how she’s been left paralysed from the neck down following a freak skiing accident.
Rebecca Koltun’s dreams have been dashed as her fun hobby turned into a life-changing nightmare.
While she always ensured to take the necessary precautions, such as wearing a helmet, it didn’t save her from the horrific ordeal.
The content creator has been left completely paralysed from the neck down after taking a bad fall while on the slopes and “hundreds of thousands” out of pocket as a result of the level of care she now requires.
But the 26-year-old isn’t letting her new reality get her down and shares satirical videos in a bid to make light of her situation; with one clip racking up 13.8m views and 1.6m likes.
“I was on track to go to medical school,” Rebecca, who has 140,000 followers on TikTok (@notparalyzedjustlazy), told Need To Know.
“Now I work part-time doing social media and doing speaking events.
“I have to rely on nurses or people to do everything for me since I can’t move my arms or legs.
“It’s very difficult to travel or even go to places day-to-day.
“I’m at risk for a lot of ailments because I don’t move.”
Rebecca, from New York, US, had been an avid skier ever since she was just four years old; going every winter with family.
She had decided to take a trip to the slopes with her college friends in March 2021 when the freak accident happened.
She said: “I do not remember the day at all.
“But I woke up in a hospital several days later and I was told that I had broken my neck.
“And that I was paralysed from the neck down, as well as being on a ventilator.
“I was so confused, as I was on a lot of medication.
“I felt pretty numb at first, then came a wave of extreme sadness.
“[I only know] what happened because a witness told me afterwards.”
Rebecca spent 17 days in the ICU until she was transferred to a specialised spinal cord injury hospital, where she stayed for four-and-a-half months.
While there, it was confirmed that she had broken her pelvis, as well as her C1 and C2 vertebrae, as well as suffering a spinal cord injury at the same points.
She was later transferred to another hospital close to home, where she spent another four months, before her home was renovated to adapt to her needs.
The disability advocate has tried some neural recovery medications, though they haven’t been successful.
For now, she’s focusing on physical therapy to keep her muscles intact and uses a power wheelchair to help get around.
In her home, there’s a lift inside and a ramp, as well as a computer that she operates with voice control to edit videos, send emails and sell her artwork online.
And also included in the “hundreds of thousands” spent is an accessible van.
To keep positive, Rebecca focuses on humour surrounding her condition.
In a video, she and a friend are side-by-side as the question is asked: ‘Guess which one [of] us is a wheelchair user?’
The pair then switch, as her friend sits in Rebecca’s wheelchair and she lies on the floor unable to move.
Users have flocked to the comments to share their reactions.
“I don’t know what I expected, but thank you for exceeding that,” Julia said.
Sydney added: “I knew what was coming and I still gasped.”
“Had me rolling on the floor,” commented Jesse.
Kat said: “FOUL but I still laughed really hard.”
“I was NOT ready for y’all to swap,” commented another user, followed by a series of laughing faces.
While keeping positive, Rebecca’s main aim with sharing her story is to raise awareness and to urge people not to feel pressured when skiing.
She added: “Don’t go faster than you feel comfortable going.
“Be extra careful or just don’t go at all if it’s icy.
“Always wear a helmet, boots and skis that fit properly.
“I’ve started painting with my mouth and selling my artwork online.
“But it costs a fortune for nursing care and any repairs to equipment, as it’s very expensive.
“My message to anyone going through something similar or extremely difficult is that life doesn’t end when something bad happens.
“You can adapt.
“And you’re more capable than you think.”
