Valerie Feske, a Richmond Hill teacher from Georgia, met an unfortunate accident on an inflatable waterslide and now suffers from a spinal cord injury. It happened during a neighborhood gathering on Memorial Day and united her friends and family to create Val's Village.
Her husband, Brent shared that Val decided to play with her children, Kenzi and Derek, along with the other kids since the adults were being boring. What happened was that one of the kids collided with her in the wrong direction.
Jennifer Price, a friend, said that the whole thing just 'happened in a split second. She was super happy, laughing, having a great time, and everything changed.' Valerie had been paralyzed from the chest down but was able to move her arm a bit 24 hours after surgery. The doctors performed procedures cutting both the front of her neck as well as her back.
Brent expressed to reporters how devasting it was that what seemed to be just another Memorial Day celebration turned out to be a life-changing event. On the first day, Valerie's husband tried to stay strong and told her that everything was going to be fine, yet didn't believe it himself. "I was falling apart," he shared.
It Takes a Village
Her friends and family put together a GoFundMe account and a blog, Val's Village. for people to keep up with how Valerie was doing. It turned into something they all didn't expect. Maria Knight, a friend, said that everything was changed for all of them in her circle.
A friend shared, 'Valerie is the epitome of positivity, spunk, and our very own ray of sunshine,' on Facebook. 'She has a servant's heart and now it's our turn to take care of her.' They designed 'Val's fight is our fight' t-shirts so that proceeds would go to medical bills, equipment, housing, and other needs of her family.
'It just helps you understand that you need to love your people.' The message her friends want to share with everyone is, 'it truly takes a village, and Val has the best one.'
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Hopelessness into Optimism
On May 26, Brent shared an update on Val's progress. She had been recovering so well that her blood pressure medicine was reduced, and she had been eating better despite nausea from surgery and needing a breathing tube down her throat.
Now they are focusing on her physical therapy sessions. Her therapists were happy that she had good arm and wrist mobility so soon. Because of her progress, the next goal is for Val to be transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, the best rehab facility in their state. Brent is asking for prayers since it could mean moving the entire family there too.
Valerie's husband has changed from being almost hopeless at the beginning, into a more positive and hopeful man. He shared, 'Thanks to everyone and their love and support. I am truly optimistic and I get so much of this optimism from your love, support, and prayers. Please keep it coming.'
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