Teen’s Hope Shines Through After Diving Accident Leaves Her Paralyzed

A Teen’s hope shines through after a diving accident that leaves her paralyzed. Fifteen-year-old Abby Buell has every reason to focus on what one ordinary dive took from her. Instead, this determined Kansas teenager is showing the rest of us what it looks like to keep moving toward a life that may look different than the one she imagined.

Teen Diving Accident Changes Abby’s Life in an Instant

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“Obviously, this is going to change my entire life, but really it just took my summer away,” Abby said.

It was Abby’s sixth summer swimming with the Overland Park Waves at Young’s Pool. Practice that day had been normal. She had already made several dives from the starting block when suddenly, one went terribly wrong.

“It was a normal practice. We’d been doing diving practice, and I had already dived off the block like four times, and it just went wrong that time,” Abby said.

She struck her head in the four-foot-deep water and immediately realized she couldn’t move.

“After that, I was stuck,” Abby recalled. “I was paralyzed in the water. One of my friends from swim she jumped right back in and flipped me over.”

Abby Buell Spends 58 Days Recovering in the Hospital

Her parents, Mary and Adam, received the kind of phone call no parent is prepared to hear. Abby had crushed her C6 vertebra. Even after surgery, doctors told the family she would likely never walk again. “It was really, really, really hard in the beginning,” Abby said.

But hard wasn't going to have the final word. Abby spent 58 days in the hospital working toward seemingly ordinary things that suddenly became enormous victories. Her mom described her as “very goal-oriented.” 

Abby Plans to Rejoin Her High School Marching Band

Abby wanted to put on makeup again. At first, she couldn't move her hand. Now she can use her phone independently. And then the swimmer returned to the water.

“It’s getting better,” Abby said. “I’ve done back stroke all by myself.”

She isn't finished returning to the things she loves. Abby, who participated in several sports before her accident, also plans to rejoin her marching band on the field. And while her family is so thankful she is alive, her parents have also had to grieve the future they once pictured for their daughter.

Her Message of Hope Is Simple: Don’t Let Anything Stop You

“While Adam and I took time to mourn the loss of the child that never will be, now we get to celebrate what she’s become,” Mary said.

And what she has become is a young woman refusing to measure her life only by what she lost. Abby's message is beautifully simple: “Don’t let anything stop you,” she said.

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“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

WATCH: Teen’s Hope Shines Through After Diving Accident Leaves Her Paralyzed

LISTEN: Alabama First Responder Reunites With Baby Whose Life He Saved

h/t: Fox 4 News

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/FOX4 News Kansas City

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.