Likelihood That I Will Get 60 Again

mayo 10, 2022 Publicar un comentario

It was sunny and warm on June ane, 2014 — a day Jess Lambert will never forget. She was simply twenty years onetime and enjoying an afternoon with friends at a lake near Calabogie. Her friends were cliff diving only Jess was nervous about jumping 20 feet into the water beneath. "I was running and stopping, running and stopping, then around the fifth attempt I ran and lost my remainder at the stop of the cliff. I fell and hit a rock that was nigh a foot into the water," says Jess.

Jess Lambert was treated at the trauma center at The Ottawa Hospital in 2014.

Her friends rescued her from the water, only Jess couldn't feel her legs. While 1 friend stayed with her, another went for assist. It took time for starting time responders to admission Jess in the remote area before they could transport her to an air ambulance waiting in a nearby farmer'south field.

When she arrived at The Ottawa Hospital Trauma Center at the Civic Campus, an initial examination indicated Jess had no motion from the waist down. "I couldn't wiggle my toes or feel annihilation," remembers Jess. Test results revealed she had a lower lumbar spinal injury, and her organs were compressed against her spine. She was scared she would never walk again.

Jess faced two long surgeries in the days alee. It was nigh a week after the 2d surgery, while in the Intensive Intendance Unit, when the gravity of the situation hit her. The surgeon who operated on her spine revealed she had a 60/40 take a chance of walking again. "That was hard to hear. My family was with me, but it was very hard news. I was just 20 years old with a life ahead of me," remembers Jess.

She credits her dad for being by her side and helping her through some dark times. "I remember waking up after my second surgery in the middle of the dark and in pain. The nurse working that night allowed my dad to stay at my bedside. He was talking me through it and telling me to stay strong. He and my family were a huge part of my recovery," explains Jess.

"The Ottawa Hospital has amazing caregivers, they're an amazing team overall, and this is such a great cause to support. They do so much for the community. "
Jess Lambert

However, Jess was motivated to motion her legs again — and the hard work to make that happen began immediately. She started physiotherapy, using a swing to move her from her bed to a wheelchair. "Over those three weeks at the Civic, I slowly regained feeling in my legs. One of my most memorable stories is when my family came in every day and the test would be that they put their finger down by my toe and my goal was to bear on the finger. One day, it happened. I could run into the tears well upwards in my family'southward eyes past my bed side. I could encounter how happy and proud they were," says Jess.

Jess'due south next finish was the Rehab Centre at the General Campus where she worked to regain her strength and achieve her ultimate goal of walking again. "We'd do physio and and then weights. I was too gaining strength in my artillery at that time. I would go around the track at the centre to build up that arm muscle."

On July 3, merely a calendar month following the accident, Jess stood on her own for the first fourth dimension. By July 17, she was walking around the gym at the Rehab Heart with canes. "By the stop of August, I was strong enough to walk on my own without any support and I got to go home — ahead of schedule. It was amazing."

Over fourth dimension, Jess got her total strength dorsum in her legs and, incredibly, she completed her offset five km run just i twelvemonth after her accident.

Last twelvemonth, she registered to Run for a Reason to give back to those who helped her. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today. The Ottawa Hospital has amazing caregivers, they're an amazing team overall, and this is such a great cause to back up. They do so much for the customs. "

This twelvemonth, she will tackle a new challenge. She's registered to run her first marathon, giving her a whole new reason to train and fundraise. "I couldn't have asked for better nurses, surgeons, doctors — there were a lot of people who cared for me, and I'll never forget how helpful they were. I'm extremely thankful for them."

Today, Jess lives every day to the fullest and she encourages others to never surrender their dreams or goals.