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An American woman’s dream honeymoon was turned into a nightmare after she was left paralysed by a wave while boogie-boarding.
Nikki Lewis from North Texas was boogie-boarding in Maui, Hawaii, with her husband, Will, and friends when a wave broke over her and sent her flying head first into the sand.
The 36-year-old broke her neck in two places, Daily Dayton News reports.
Nikki and Will said “I do” just four days before the freak accident and decided to stay on the island to get their honeymoon well underway and spend time with close friends and family.
Nikki’s friend Ja’Mikal Moorer recalls the horrific moment.
“I remember seeing her hopping on the board and the wave being taller than me,” an emotional Ja’Mikal told NBC 5 News.
“You say in your head, like, ‘Get up. Get up!’ but she didn’t get up.”
With help from strangers, Nikki’s friend pulled her out of the water.
“For a while she was just unconscious and we all thought she was dead,” said Ja’Mika’s girlfriend, Taycha Pillot.
“It hurts to see someone so amazing go through this just days after, you know, the perfect day.”
The mom of two, who’s now sitting up and feeding herself, was flown to a hospital in Honolulu to receive further treatment.
A spokesperson for the couple told Yahoo that doctors have given Nikki a 50% chance of making a full recovery.
Nikki’s family and friends set up a GoFundMe Page to help pay for medical expenses and help get her home when she’s able to travel.
“The medical bills are growing each day and will be unimaginably extensive very quickly,” the page states.
“Her husband and family have been so hesitant in going public and accepting help but the realisation of the long road ahead is setting in and they need our help!
“We’ve created this page to help take some of the financial burden off of them while they focus on Nikki’s recovery.”
Sources: Daily Mail, Dayton Daily News, Express Digest
