The Drs: Impaled By Golf Club
The Doctors heard from a young woman named Natalie, who had just started college when she was invited to a cookout at a fraternity house. One of the guys was using a golf club like a baseball bat. When he swung it to hit a football, the shaft of the golf club broke off and flew 30 feet, hitting her as she was taking a picture. The putter went through her C3 and C4 vertebrae in her neck and partially severed her spinal cord, also traveling through her jaw and piercing her tongue.
The Doctors talked to a young woman who was impaled by a golf club during a freak accident and is learning how to walk again. (infomastern / flickr)
At the first hospital, her mom Fonda was able to see her for just a few seconds, but she was unable to talk. She mouthed to her mother, “I’m going to die,” and her mom told her she would be fine. The local hospital where Natalie was being treated decided to send her to the trauma unit at a hospital in Memphis. They assessed the situation and told her that after the surgery Natalie needed, she would likely be paralyzed.
The Drs: Recovering From Freak Accident
During the recovery process, Natalie’s family decided to take her to a rehabilitation facility about seven hours from home. She was told there was no guarantee to get anything back, and the first few days were extremely painful. It’s been about six months since the incident and she’s hoping to go back to college in the fall and walk around campus without a cane. She wants to be a normal student and she’s working toward that goal right now.
The Drs: Walking Again After Freak Accident
The Doctors welcomed Natalie to the show, and she walked out with the assistance of a cane, showing that she wasn’t paralyzed like doctors initially thought she would be. Dr Jennifer Ashton pointed out all the people that were helping Natalie, showing that her type of rehabilitation involves five or six people, rather than just one. Natalie said there isn’t a big enough thank you for those people, because they gave her a chance at life again.
Natalie’s mom was in the audience and Fonda said to watch her daughter come from where she started, she knows how strong her daughter is. The Doctors surprised Natalie and Fonda with a vacation to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What do you think about Natalie’s story? Do you know anyone who was involved in a freak accident?
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