It was the summer before her senior year of high school when 17-year-old Evonne Woodfin was on a family vacation in Puerto Rico. She was excited to go cliff jumping for the very first time, but when it was her turn to jump, Evonne got scared. As she tried to back away from the edge, she slipped and tumbled off the cliff, hitting her back on the rocks as she fell. Evonne suffered a serious spinal injury, leaving her partially paralyzed from the waist down and had to be airlifted back to Boston for surgery.
The surgery at a major Boston hospital went well, but Evonne needed to learn to walk again and regain her strength, so she was transferred to Franciscan Children’s for specialized rehabilitative care.
“When Evonne first arrived at Franciscan’s, she couldn’t sit up by herself, she was unable to move her left leg and had minimal movement in her right leg,” said physical therapist Kaleigh Duggan. “Only a third of individuals with Evonne’s type of injury make a full recovery.”
Evonne was determined to walk again. She was set to begin her senior year in high school and wanted to dance at her prom and walk across the stage at graduation. Kaleigh and the rest of Evonne’s care team knew how important it was to get her better so she could participate fully in these life milestones. So, they got to work.
Evonne had intensive physical and occupational therapy to help her regain strength and movement. Her team used various methods of therapy including electrical stimulation, body weight support treadmill walking, and aquatic therapy. Evonne’s treatment also included music therapy to keep her spirits up. She made remarkable progress and two and a half months after arriving at Franciscan Children’s, she was able to walk out of the hospital at her discharge using a walker!
Evonne continued her physical therapy at Franciscan as an outpatient. Her sessions involved dynamic balance training, strengthening of her legs using weights and walking. She set a goal for herself that she would be able to walk unsupported by graduation.
Evonne said the work was grueling, but it paid off as that spring she danced at her Senior Prom and walked across the stage to get her high school diploma.
In the fall, Evonne not only started college, but also joined Kaleigh in running the Franciscan Children’s Road Race. She jokes about how her relationship with Kaleigh has evolved.
“At first I didn’t like her because she made me work so hard,” Evonne said. “But now I have so much gratitude towards her.”
Evonne is now a sophomore in college studying film making.