Gina's Story

In March of 2008, Gina was in a car accident in Wayne, Nebraska. The car flipped, and Gina was ejected from the car, but partially pinned by it. She was taken to the Wayne hospital, but was life-flighted to a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital where they performed surgery. Gina had a broken back and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Her family had several rehabilitation programs come to visit them in Sioux City to determine the best place for Gina. One of those programs was CHI Health Immanuel Rehabilitation Center. Gina and her family felt a strong connection because of the way that CHI Health therapists took the time to get to know Gina. They focused on her personal well-being in addition to her medical needs.

Gina had always been very fit and active. She was a tumbler and had started her own business in Wayne teaching tumbling to kids aged 4 to 14. She has maintained the business after the accident, and now teaches from her chair.

She lives independently in an apartment in Wayne, and will graduate from Wayne State College in May, 2010. Her hometown of Glenwood, Iowa, held a fundraiser for her after the accident. They purchased a truck with a lift system that allows her to get her wheelchair into the vehicle and drive herself.

She has an amazing, positive outlook and is determined that whatever she wants to do, she will find a way to do it. She believes that her life hasn’t changed much since the accident. She does everything she did before, just from a chair – and now she gets much better parking.

Want to see what Gina's up to now? There's more on Gina's story available on the CHI Health website.