A Tennessee high school student is facing a dramatically changed life after a devastating accident at a trampoline park last month, according to local reports.
Sixteen-year-old Maggie Isble spent the first day of her Thanksgiving break enjoying time with her siblings, jumping and flipping at an indoor trampoline park in the Nashville area. The fun stopped instantly when she attempted a backflip off a trapeze bar into a foam pit.
“Mid-flip, she landed head first into the foam pit and went all the way through the foam and hit her head on the concrete and broke her neck,” Maggie’s older sister, Destiny Isble, told WSMV.
The impact left Maggie paralyzed from the chest down, unable to move her legs, feet or hands.
She was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and later transferred to a spinal rehabilitation center in Atlanta, WSMV reported.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1022x1005:1024x1007):format(webp)/Indoor-trampoline-park-with-foam-pit-and-orange-and-yellow-walls-121125-05681a493711431b87a4c0db4896a231.jpg)
Doctors initially warned the family that Maggie would not be able to walk again. But her relatives say she is already defying expectations. Over the weekend, she managed to feed herself for the first time since the accident.
“She was able to reach her hand to her mouth and feed herself a Cheeto, which is amazing, because she couldn’t even get her arms past here,” Destiny said, gesturing to her chest. “She was able to do that, and she has some feeling on the sides of her legs.”
Jessica Burton, Maggie’s aunt, told News Channel 5 that the teen is maintaining remarkable optimism.
“Maggie has a positive outlook on this,” Burton said. “We’re already seeing a miracle happen, so keep on praying because we do believe in the power of prayer. We believe that because of Maggie’s personality and attitude that she’s going to shine through this and she’s going to help others through this.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(916x893:918x895):format(webp)/Vanderbilt-University-Medical-Center-in-Nashville-121125-b43c1903646747c3953a6e62b3bef98d.jpg)
To help with mounting medical and rehabilitation costs, the family launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “A Miracle for Maggie” on Nov. 26. As of Dec. 11, more than $64,000 of the $75,000 goal had been raised.
On Dec. 9, Maggie’s father, Joshua Isble, shared a hopeful update on the fundraiser page about her first full day of rehabilitation therapies.
“She had her first day of [occupational] and [physical] therapy and she did great,” he wrote. “She was driving around in her chair all by herself. She had a lot of smiles and laughs today with very few tears.”
He added that Maggie was also able to move one of her toes slightly, calling it a good day and an encouraging sign of progress.
A public Facebook group has been created so friends, family and supporters can follow Maggie’s recovery journey.
According to WSMV, the Isble family is planning to celebrate Christmas together in Atlanta so Maggie can remain close to her loved ones while continuing her rehabilitation.
