Bride paralysed in freak honeymoon accident
A new bride has been left paralysed after a freak boogie boarding accident during her honeymoon in Hawaii.
Friends and family are now fighting to get her back home and have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money.
More than $40,000 has so far been raised for Texas woman Nikki Lewis, who broke her neck in two places after a wave crashed into her as she boogie boarded in Maui on September 12.
The freak accident came just days after her destination wedding to husband Will Lewis on September 8.
“Her fairytale wedding trip has turned into a horrible nightmare,” the GoFundMe page said.
Taycha Pillot, who was among the wedding guests and on holiday with the newlyweds, told NBC 5 the accident left Mrs Lewis unconscious.
“We all thought she was dead,” she said.
“It hurts to see someone so amazing have to go through this just days after, you know, the perfect day.”
The mother of two, from Prosper in the US state of Texas, was flown to the mainland for treatment, but her ability to come home to recover remains uncertain.
A spokesperson for the Nikki’s Hope Facebook page told Yahoo Lifestyle that doctors have given the newlywed a 50 per cent chance of full recovery, but special — and costly — arrangements will have to be made to transport her to Texas.
As Mrs Lewis’ family explores travel options such as booking a private plane or reserving a commercial flight’s first-class section, loved ones are raising funds to cover the cost of transport and mounting medical bills.
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They are also trying to track down an unidentified paramedic who helped rescue Mrs Lewis from the ocean.
The paramedic happened to be vacationing on Big Beach near Maui’s Makena Cove when the accident occurred.
