“At least I didn’t hit my head. I didn’t have to deal with any of that kind of stuff. It was lower down the spine so … it’s like, yeah, my lower body doesn’t work but at least I still have all my upper body. Still have my brain. I still have everything.”
Kendra Erhardt, 27, is recovering at University of Alberta Hospital after a skiing accident earlier this month at Marmot Basin, near Jasper. On her second run of the day while coming around a turn, Kendra’s skis caught an edge causing her to lose control and throwing her backward into a tree.
CBC reports Erhardt broke her back in two places and her spinal cord had been significantly damaged, causing paralysis from the waist down. She had also broken three ribs.
Erhardt went into surgery on March 5 and has been working on her recovery. She said she is prepared for the challenges ahead:
“I’m kind of taking it day by day for sure, but definitely the future will hold new challenges and new opportunities.We’ll see how it goes.”
Kendra’s friends setup a GoFundMe Page to help her medical bills, wheelchair and accessibility upgrades she will need for her home.
“The first day, when it hit $15,000, I knew we might as well tell her. When we told her, she automatically started tearing up. She was like, ‘I didn’t think a lot of people cared’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, Kendra, a lot of people care about you.'”
Kenda knows she has a long road ahead of her but she remains focused on the positives. To contribute to her GoFundMe campaign GO HERE.
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images from GoFundMe