For my 30th birthday, my husband surprised me with the Buckeye (powered parachute). I am afraid of heights. I was both excited and scared, but it was liberating. I thought I was about to overcome my old fears.

The next thing I remember is the frozen expression on the pilot's face, and then I was on the ground, crying in pain. I knew then that in one second my entire life had changed. One vertebra had been shattered, another was broken, and a third was fractured. After surgery, I was able to move my feet, but I couldn’t feel them. I was left with unanswered questions:

Will I ever be able to walk?

Will I ever be able to stand again?

Will I feel my body?

I was frightened. I was mourning for something I couldn’t quite understand. After four days, the doctors said I was being transferred to a rehab and mentioned Reuth. As a social worker myself, I had heard good things about them and knew the place personally. I knew that’s where I wanted to go. I came here in a wheelchair. Physically, I was totally dependent on others - for getting dressed, taking a shower, standing up. Emotionally, I was shattered - I had to learn everything from the beginning. Every hour in my schedule was filled with a different therapy - Occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, art therapy. Rehabilitation is a full time job!

“Reuth brought me back to life - I was in a wheelchair, everything seemed black, I didn’t know how to become myself again. And they put me back on my feet, both figuratively and literally.”