A high school wrestler from Old Bridge, New Jersey, who was left paralyzed after a devastating spinal injury during a match, is now defying the odds.
A high school wrestler from Old Bridge, New Jersey, who was left paralyzed after a devastating spinal injury during a match, is now defying the odds. Adriana Maria is back on her feet and walking again after weeks of surgery and grueling rehabilitation.
"One day you're up and walking and doing great, and the next you can't really move," said student athlete Adriana Maria. Maria is back on her feet with the help of a walker, in a triumphant return to Old Bridge High School on Thursday. The student athlete displaced her spinal cord during a wrestling match against Perth Amboy on Jan. 31. "She did a routine takedown on me and a routine armbar, and when I tried to get out of it from being pinned, I felt pain in my neck," she said. "And when I tried to call injury time, I realized I couldn't move.""When you suspect a neck injury like this, you do what we call hold c spine, where I'm literally, holding, you know, her head is here, and I'm holding her head between my arms, so that she doesn't move," said athletic trainer Jane Maline. Maria had to have two neck surgeries, and after about six weeks in the hospital, she finally returned home. The Old Bridge community has been behind her every step of the way, raising money at home games and online."It just really let me know that no matter what the outcome was, that I would always have people there for me," Maria said. She still needs therapy a few times a week, and is attending half-day classes right now, but her future is bright."Getting back to wrestling," she said. "The losing feeling isn't as great, but the winning feeling, it just brings something out, especially in me.""The whole time that this has been going on, she's never let it take her down," Maline said. Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo,
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