Blog

Meet Lulu

Andrew Skinner marzo 7, 2023 Noticias, Notable, SCI, Actualización de Triumph Outreach

At Triumph, “Momentum” is the name of the game.

Meet Lulu.

Her life was that of a normal 21-year-old girl. She went to college, worked a job, hung out with friends, and maintained good grades. That all changed in a matter of seconds. On September 4, 2021 she was in a life changing car accident that altered her life in unimaginable ways.

She lived off of highway 41 in Paso Robles, a very curvy road full of trees, twists, and turns. She was 2 miles from her house when she swerved her car off the road. She drove off a cliff, and flipped her car 8-10 times. She crashed around 11pm and was in her car alone and scared overnight. Her sister and mom went out to look for her at 7 am the next morning. They were terrified by what they found - Lulu unable to move because of a C6 spinal cord injury. They called 911 for help, and Lulu was rescued and airlifted to the hospital, placed on a ventilator, and started her intensive rehab journey as a quadriplegic.

Lulu is still the same girl with the same dreams and goals, but she became completely dependent on her friends and family. With their love and encouragement, she continues to push forward.

Triumph met her at our Central Coast support group. She attended shortly after coming home from the hospital, and we gave her a Care Pack providing resources and referrals to help her gain knowledge, know-how, and momentum for the journey ahead.

Lulu refuses to let this injury define her or hold her back from achieving her dreams. She works hard each and every day to gain independence. She is getting ready to return to college. Her goal is to become a speech pathologist and work at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, which is the hospital where she did rehabilitation, but she needed help to get around the university campus independently.

Lulu was thrilled when Triumph provided her with a power wheelchair giving her the mobility to pursue this goal.

In addition, Lulu was very athletic before the accident; played on club teams and varsity sports all throughout high school, so being in a wheelchair has been a big adjustment in her athletic life.

Triumph has given her opportunities to continue her passion for sports; she recently attended our wheelchair rugby clinic in Palmdale, and she's going to attend our Wheelchair Sports Festival on April 29th & 30th giving her a chance to push the limits of her abilities - if she wasn’t moving before, she will be now!

Because of your support, our critical quality-of-life “Círculo de cuidado” programs make it possible for recipients like Lulu to get help, get settled at home, get fully-equipped, and get going.

Lulu was once helpless and lost, and now she is reaching for her full potential with unstoppable momentum.

That’s what Triumph's Year of Momentum is all about.

“I think the worst part of recovering from my injury was the unknown. Besides the loneliness and pain, there’s a tremendous fear in not knowing what to expect in my new reality. It took somebody who had been through it all before - to help me see that I could do this. That I could regain my independence and be part of something bigger. I want to pay it forward and help somebody else find their place within the Triumph Family.”


Comparte este artículo

es_MX