The mom is urging fellow parents to be careful this summer after a teen she was responsible for was left paralyzed. While at a pool, the 13-year-old girl dove into the shallow end and Fractured her C5 vertebrae and bruised her C6 and C7 with an active hemorrhage around her C5 region. The teen is now talking, breathing on her own, and has mobility in her arms but nothing in her legs. She can feel sensations in her legs and feet but the physical therapist told the family that it will be a while until she can walk on her own. The mother is now urging fellow moms and parents to have a pool safety chat with their children and always watch them in the pool, because, as she claims, ‘things like this can happen in a matter of seconds and it can change a lot of lives.’
In April, Saunda Cheek brought her children and their 13-year-old friend Lillyana, to a pool party. The mother from N.D. told KFYR that everything was great, until she saw 13-year-old Lillyana standing up on the slide. Unfortunately, Lillyana then dove off of the slide, straight down into three feet of water. After the impact, the teen was floating face down in the water.
According to Cheek, 13-year-old Lillyana has asthma, so she can’t hold her breath that long. When Cheek lifted Lillyana’s head, the teen told her that she can’t move. Cheek called 911 and the young girl was airlifted to a hospital and placed on a ventilator. The doctors told her family that Lillyana has made great strides over the past two months. Unfortunately, she still remains completely paralyzed on the right side of her body, KKTV reports. Saunda Cheek has launched a GoFundMe page to help the family.
During an interview with KFYR, Saunda Cheek reportedly said:
“She’s not even going to be able to bathe her at home because her wheelchair is not going to be able to make it into the shower. And a shower chair cannot even fit in their bathtub. So, she’s already trying to make arrangements to take her to hotels, you know, just to bathe her.”
Now, Cheek is urging fellow moms and parents to have a pool safety chat with their children and always watch them in the pool, because, as she claims, ‘things like this can happen in a matter of seconds and it can change a lot of lives.’
Saunda Cheek has launched a GoFundMe page to help the family. The online fundraiser wrote: “This page is to spread awareness of water safety as well as fundraise for Lillyanna, my 13-year-old sister. On Saturday, Lillyanna went to the pool with her friends, and when three kids were coming down the slide at the same time she ways she decided to jump off. Without taking a second to think further about her decision she dove into the shallow end and Fractured her C5 vertebrae and bruised her C6 and C7 with an active hemorrhage around her C5 region.
She is now talking, breathing on her own, and has mobility in her arms but nothing in her legs. She can feel sensations in her legs and feet but the Physical therapist said it will be a while until she can walk on her own. We are trying to raise money to help cover the medical and travel expenses of this unforeseeable event. We also wanted to take this time to speak to everyone about water safety and how important it is to take the extra second to ensure your safety and the safety of others around you.”