Macy Huff was a 15-year old sophomore at Ben Davis High School when a tumble at cheerleading practice went terribly wrong.
On April 25, 2013 she was demonstrating a maneuver to a younger student and miscalculated her landing. She over-rotated, landed on her head, and broke her neck. The spinal cord injury Macy suffered instantly left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. In the blink of an eye she was thrust into a new and formidable reality and forced to cope with a new body and a new life.
The mental and the physical toll that spinal cord injuries administer are difficult to overcome. It is an arduous road of healing, rehabilitating, and learning how to live with a body that has changed in look, feel, and function. Macy lives on that road. And she has confronted her struggle with fortitude from day one.
She is considered a c5/6 quadriplegic and does not have much function below her injury level. She lives with significant paralysis in her core, legs, and hands. Even so, Macy presents much better than most c5 quadriplegics. Thanks to a unique insurance plan, Macy has been fortunate to take part in regular therapy and strengthening programs ever since her injury. Most spinal cord injured individuals are forced to leave rehabilitation after a few months. Unfortunately, many fail to keep up with therapy and exercise once they move home. Not Macy. The two years following her injury were spent taking part in weekly outpatient programs to maximize her recovery and strengthen her body. Additionally, she’s been a regular client at NeuroHope ever since she left traditional therapy in the spring of 2015. Last year she even experimented with a ReWalk Exoskeleton at the clinic. You can see her first steps in the device here.
Macy’s hard work and determination over the last three years is evident. She has fantastic posture and sitting balance. She is comfortable transferring in and out of her chair. Her blood pressure issues are a concern of the past. For someone with a cervical spinal cord injury, those are difficult goals to achieve.
Today, Macy is preparing for college. But, before she leaves there is another goal on her mind. She is training three times per week at NeuroHope to take assisted steps across the graduation stage to receive her high school diploma!
CBS 4 visited NeuroHope earlier in the year to detail her daily grind at the clinic. Watch the video here!
Macy, like all of the clients we are privileged to work with, inspires us! We are proud to be a part of her journey, and we are eager to see her standing on the Ben Davis stage on June 4th.
Click here to learn how you can help the Huff’s raise money for an adaptable van that she can drive!
