Before I got paralyzed, I was very active. I became a NASM certified personal trainer in 2014 and loved working out and helping others achieve their fitness and goals. I loved to do anything outdoors: I walk my puppy, my cat, I walk my picnics, I travel.
She also traveled a lot to different states to help open new Yard House restaurants, set up the bar, and train bartenders. I loved the job because I was able to travel and experience a new city every two months.
Then my life changed in August 2018, and with it my entire relationship with fitness and movement.
I was coming home from my drinks job around 2am and got into bumpers on the highway that left my car parked in the middle lane. The other car was able to take off to the side of the highway. I remember calling 911 and telling them about the accident. I was told to stay in my car and put the flashers on, and the police were on their way.
The next thing I remember is looking in my rearview mirror saying, “Please stop, please stop, please stop.” I don’t remember anything about the actual accident, except that I woke up in the back seat of my car screaming, “Get me out of here, I’m not going to die tonight” over and over.
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When I regained consciousness and consciousness in the hospital about four days later, I learned that I was paralyzed from my chest down.
It was my mom who told me I couldn’t walk anymore when I told her I couldn’t feel my leg. I explained that an SUV had finished me at full speed in a tractor-trailer next to it. Then the tractor trailer proceeded to tow my car 500 feet to a median. After seeing the pictures of my car, and after learning that I could no longer walk or move my legs, I was so grateful to be alive. Honestly, I shouldn’t be here today.
I had to undergo two different surgeries to fuse my spine. All in all, I’ve had multiple fractures to my spine, a collapsed lung, seven broken ribs, broken glass inside my skin, and lacerations to my face, arms, and legs. I also had two chest tubes during recovery. I just remember how much pain I was in, and looking back, I don’t know how I went through it. I think I know I have no other choice.
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I stayed in the hospital about three weeks before going to inpatient, then outpatient, and treatment at the Philadelphia Rehab Center, for several months. We worked on a sitting balance because I no longer had active core muscles, which increased my upper body strength, and shifts so I could move in and out of the wheelchair. These were all simple everyday actions that I had taken for granted prior to the accident.
I had to re-learn everything – brushing my teeth, washing my face, getting dressed, putting on my shoes, taking a shower, getting into and getting out of bed. everything was So Tough, but I kept pushing myself to be as independent as possible.
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In September of 2019, my family went on vacation to Hawaii, where my sister and I decided to work out at the hotel fitness center.
I didn’t think about anything because the gym was my home before I got hit. When I entered the gym, I no longer felt at home. I felt very insecure. Everyone’s eyes were directly on me. The distance between everything was very small and not easily accessible. I felt out of place. I felt I shouldn’t be there.
I went back to our hotel room afterwards and just cried. But then and there, I decided that I would not allow myself to be a victim of my circumstances.
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I needed and wanted to feel comfortable in the gym again. I wanted to come back home.
So, when we got home, I reached out to my girlfriend who was also a personal trainer and asked her to coach me to help me find that relief again.
We started training together and I remember I could barely complete the exercises on the cable machine with a lighter weight without help. I wouldn’t let this stop me. I reminded myself that we all have a stepping stone on our fitness journeys, and this was mine.
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From that day forward, I constantly pushed myself to get stronger so that I could be as independent as possible and continue to live my life.
After I became paralyzed, I didn’t think I’d be able to be a personal trainer anymore. After returning to the gym and watching my strength increase, I thought to myself, Why don’t you train people anymore? I got my degree back in 2020 because I wanted to show the spinal cord injury and the wheelchair user community that we can still exercise and get stronger despite our abilities.
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Initially, I started training some of my body-capable clients I had trained prior to the accident. We started training through Zoom because I couldn’t lead myself anywhere at this point. COVID was just beginning, so online workouts have been more prevalent. I was verbally coaching my able clients through their moves because I couldn’t do most of them.
I decided to start posting some of my workouts to my Instagram in the hope that other wheelchair users could benefit from them.
From there, I slowly began training a couple of wheelchair users through Zoom and writing exercise programs to do at home or at the gym. I was so relieved to show them that they can still exercise and get the benefits that exercise provides.
I love strength training. I go to the gym occasionally, but I usually work out at home with bands. I split my weeks like this – back and core, shoulders and core, biceps and triceps, chest and core, whole upper body and conditioning. Some weeks I’ll swap it out for a day I’m dancing (I love to dance!), as well as standing frame and stretching. I give myself two days off so my muscles can recover and stay injury-free.
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I switched from being able to do 3-pound dumbbell presses while lying on the floor to transferring myself to a bench to performing 30-pound bench presses. This may seem small to the average individual, but I have a little bit of core strength to help me with this movement. Being able to bench press this much shows how strong my core and back are.
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My most proud moment of strength so far is the fact that I can move from the floor to the sofa and to my seat.
With so little core strength, this is very challenging. I have to stand on my knees, balancing my hips so I can squeeze into the couch, flip my hips and lift my butt off the couch. Before, I always needed help because I couldn’t keep my hips stable when I was on my knees. However, after losing 53 pounds and constantly lifting (and with heavier weights), I gained the strength to do it on my own! It is very liberating.
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Another of her strength goals is the ability to do a precise workout without assistance. I started with a bar closer to my chest and engaged the correct muscle groups and worked the passive part of the movement (I slowly lower myself back into my chair). My trainer and I kept moving the bar up slowly, and after a few weeks I was able to do a full up exercise on my own!
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After the accident, my life completely changed in an instant. I am grateful for all of that.
I am 32 years old now. I went from being very fit and independent, to being completely unfit and without any independence. Coming back to the gym to increase my upper body strength and regain my fitness abilities after an accident was life changing. I feel like I got my life back. I feel like Nikki was before I was paralyzed – in fact, I feel it better from her. As a wheelchair user, independence is key. My strengthening has greatly increased my independence, and I am very proud of myself.
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