Honored as the 2006 ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award,American Paige Railey seeks the final award... an Olympic medal. Beat out in the trials for 2008, and finishing a disappointing 8th at the 2012 London Games, or Paige was fully focused on fulfilling her quest at the 2016 Games when on August 24,2014 she was involved in a bike accident. It has made the climb steeper, but she remains no less determined.
Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck checked in with Paige for this report.
How did the accident occur?
I was home in Clearwater (FL), and in a cycling group when I fell off my bike. I was going about 21 mph and literally landed on my face. I wore a helmet,but that didn't catch the impact.
How much do you remember of the accident?
I believe I remember everything from the accident, but there are some things that are blurry. Let's say the months after the accident are very blurry. I know there were days that I couldn't remember what I did 20 minutes before.
What were your injuries?
Fractured spine, or concussion,lesions all over my body, nerve damage (lost feeling in parts of face, and back,hands, smell). Not all of my nerves have grown back so I can't feel parts of my body, and had to depart to physical therapy to re-teach my hands how to open and close. I had about 50 stitches,luckily i didn't wreck my jaw, but it doesn't work the same. Physical therapy for my spine...etcDescribe the period following the accident.[br]
I was taken away in an ambulance and went to the ER. In my intellect I was fine because I couldn't feel pain. I had always seen on TV with people that experience severe trauma that they don't feel pain...well I was finally one of them.
I didn't even deem I had a concussion. I got an MRI of my neck and hands and all seemed good so I told them to sew me up so I find going. I had convinced myself I was fine because I had my World Championships in two weeks. I didn't deem I was that infamous.
I got home and passed out from my head. I didn't tell anyone and went to strategizing on what I was going to do to find to the Worlds. I immediately started going to physical therapy. I later then discovered the fractured spine and told people about the concussion. You have a realization something is inaccurate when you are dry heaving for a solid three months every day because your brain is exhausted from all the processing it does.
I had a neurologist tell me, and "Paige,you need rest. Stop trying to force the recovery. You need to depart home, lay on your sofa and NOT deem. Sit in a black room and let your brain heal." I was in physical therapy for three months and in and out of doctors about 3 to 5 times a week for four months. I then was exhausted in January and decided that I just needed to let it happen naturally and let time do its work.
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Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com