Share

Woman left paralysed after accident walks down the aisle

accreditation
Erin Rollins. (Photo: MEDIADRUMWORLD/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA)
Erin Rollins. (Photo: MEDIADRUMWORLD/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA)

After she was hit by a drunk driver, she was left paralysed from the waist down. But two years on, this woman defied all medical odds to walk down the aisle at her dream wedding.

Freelance journalist Erin Rollins (33) was driving her car in November 2014 when a drunk motorist collided with her head-on. Shards of bone shattered her spinal cord and paramedics believed she was lucky to survive.

“I don’t remember the crash at all,” Erin says.

“But I remember specific moments. I remember being wheeled backwards into the ambulance, but I had no idea what happened.

“The paramedic came over and said I was lucky to be alive because most people don’t survive crashes like that. I kept telling them I was in the worst pain of my life.”

At the hospital staff ran several tests. A nurse warned Erin she was inserting a catheter, so as not to alarm her, but Erin says she couldn’t feel anything. She initially put it down to the pain medication, but later learnt she’d suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury and two burst fractures. This sent shards of bone into her spinal canal, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.

Erin Rollins. (Photo: MEDIADRUMWORLD/WWW.MAGAZINEF

Erin, from Chicago in the US, also sustained cavities in her colon, small intestine and bowel and internal bleeding which required emergency surgery.

She began physiotherapy on 6 December and two weeks later were able to move around with a walker and harness for support.

Her optimism is what carried her through her recovery process, Erin believes. In October 2016 she even walked down the aisle to marry her husband, Dennis (39).

She can now walk independently but still needs braces on her feet as certain nerves and muscles don’t work. She also has to catheterise intermittently.

Her life has changed drastically. She can’t carry anything heavier than 7kg because of stomach injuries and pregnancy would be high-risk, also because of her damaged spine. Erin may also need a stoma bag indefinitely.

It’s difficult for her to move on and put what’s happened to her behind her. But Erin says she’s forgiven the driver who hit her.

“I’ll never be able to restore the time that was lost,” she says. “I can forgive and move on, but the losses and sadness remain. People assume that because I’ve forgiven the drunk driver and maintained a good attitude, it means that everything is okay, but it’s not. The grief is real and will last a lifetime.”

Yet she still maintains a positive outlook on life.

“You may not be in control of what happens to you, but you’re in control of how you respond. Bad things happen to good people and you can choose to lie down and take it, or you can choose to fight.”

 

 

 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()