A 28-year-old woman has been left paralyzed from the waist down after a piano crushed her during a freak accident.
Danielle Drummond, 28, was helping a friend move an upright piano when the friend lost grip, causing the heavy instrument to fall on her last month, WOIO reported.
Drummond, who had recently relocated from Ohio to Oregon, was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Doctors found that her spinal cord had been severed, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.
“I’m trying to keep like in high spirits because I know this is my life now, but it’s hard,” Drummond told the outlet. “As of right now, I need a lot more physical therapy. I need to rebuild my strength.”
In the wake of her injury, Drummond faces extensive rehabilitation and requires a home health aide.
To add to the difficulties, she was living in a van with her dog at the time of the accident, which is no longer feasible given her injuries.
With no family in Oregon, Drummond is now in urgent need of a permanent place to live.
“I don’t even know like how I would get home, let alone like how to transfer all the medical stuff, and I don’t feel like I’m able right now to do like that far of a car ride or a trip in an airplane,” she explained.
To support her sister, Rosie Hayne has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover Drummond’s medical expenses and help her find stable housing.
“Our hearts are completely broken. My baby sister means the world to me,” Hayne wrote.
“Such a strong and wise woman, down to earth and humble, her aura reflects her beautiful soul. We will get through this with lots of prayer and positive guidance. This is in God’s hands now, please wrap them around her tight!”
In an update posted on May 1, Hayne added: "Danielle is getting around really well in the hospital wheelchair. She is going to need one of her own, not to mention a home to keep it in.
"She wants to make it clear that she is not expecting to ever walk again. She has accepted the reality of her situation. But she has an amazing spirit and an overall positive outlook, focusing on what she can do."
At the time of writing, the fundraising campaign has received $7,720 out of a $25,000 target.