Luge lady continues to recover

Stacy Allen was in an accident that easily could have killed her, but she survived and now her challenge is to get out of a wheelchair. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says for Stacy, something

Monday, February 20th 2006, 11:14 am

By: News On 6

Stacy Allen was in an accident that easily could have killed her, but she survived and now her challenge is to get out of a wheelchair.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says for Stacy, something that seemed impossible just a few months ago is now possible. Stacy Allen can stand. Standing seemed impossible because Stacy was in a terrible accident last July in street luge. She was on a training run when she crashed.

The accident bruised her spinal cord and broke several bones in her back. She was paralyzed from the chest down. Her organs were damaged and her arm was crushed, but her spirit was not. "But even with all that has happened to me, I feel like I'm coming back."

Stacy has spent the last seven months recovering. When she was well enough to travel, she flew off to a hospital in Colorado that specializes in spinal injuries. When she was disappointed with her progress, she came home after only four weeks. Since then she's sought out alternative treatments - and though she's still in a wheelchair - she's much better.

Stacy spends 3 days a week in rehab, forcing her mind and her body to do the impossible. She sometimes cries from the pain of it all, but she believes in the impossible, because she's living it.

Stacy's nerves are slowly responding. She has feeling down to her waist and in parts of her left leg. It's progress - and Stacy believes progress is hope and hope is what creates progress.

Stacy says she's watched the Olympics, seen some of the injuries from the luge competition and says it was hard to watch. She hopes to recover enough to take up the ice luge - once she gets out of that wheelchair.