College Girl Left Paralyzed After Going Surfing And Being Diagnosed With A Rare Condition
Cassie Eckroth lives in Reno, Nevada, and currently attends college, where she’s working on becoming a teacher.
“If you know Cassie, you are lucky enough to know how fun, loving, loyal, vibrant, caring, adventurous, and selfless she is,” Lauren Phillips wrote on a GoFundMe page created for Cassie.
“She is one of those people who is always there, no matter what. Well, right now, she needs us.”
Recently, Cassie took a vacation to Hawaii with her boyfriend, and while she was there, she decided to take a few surfing lessons.
As Cassie stood up on the surfboard out there in the beautiful blue water, she noticed something did not feel right.
Facebook; pictured above is Cassie
Cassie suddenly felt weak, and she was losing the feeling in her legs as she tried to remain on the board.
Cassie was taken to a hospital in Maui, and the doctors had a devastating diagnosis for her.
Facebook; pictured above Cassie sits on the surfboard right before her incident
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Doctors diagnosed Cassie with surfer’s myelopathy, which is a very rare spinal cord injury caused when someone hyperextends their back.
This rare condition is called surfer’s myelopathy because it more commonly happens to people who are beginner surfers, but it can happen to people participating in other sports and activities.
Surfer’s myelopathy causes paralysis, and sometimes people who are diagnosed with it bounce back, while others remain paralyzed for life.
Although Cassie is currently experiencing neuropathic pain and she’s paralyzed from her waist down, there is no way to tell right now if she will make a full recovery or not.
Since very little is known about this rare condition, there also isn’t an obvious plan for Cassie’s treatment.
Facebook; pictured above Cassie smiles while in the hospital
Cassie was flown from Hawaii to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, so she can be treated closer to her family.
She is showing some signs of improvement, like being able to sit up a bit on her own.
“Cassie has officially been moved to inpatient rehab to start her journey to recovery! Thankfully, she has been able to remain at Mayo Clinic for rehab, and is expected to be here for about 3-4 weeks,” Lauren Phillips shared in an update on the GoFundMe page created for Cassie.
“At this point, Cassie remains paralyzed from the waist down. There is no knowing what the future holds, but if anyone can defy the odds it is Cassie!”
“She has a long and tough road ahead of her. As always, the outpouring of love and support has been a huge comfort.”
You can follow Cassie on her road to recovery here, and you can donate to the GoFundMe created to help cover her medical expenses here.
More About:Human Interest
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