犹他州锡拉丘兹的莎拉·弗雷（莎拉 Frei）以设定目标而闻名. She creates a "bucket list" each year, drawing up plans for new experiences and accomplishments. 她在17岁时就取得了许多人一生都无法企及的成就.
但, 2020年夏天即将结束, 莎拉's family wondered whether she'd get to check anything else off one of her to-do lists. A car accident had left 莎拉 paralyzed and fighting for her life.
“她总是列一个遗愿清单. 每年都是，”莎拉的母亲艾米·弗雷说. "但, after her accident, we couldn't even comprehend what 莎拉 would be able to do."
他们很快就会发现莎拉势不可挡.
改变一切的那一天
莎拉 was headed home on July 30, 2020, from Bear Lake in Northern Utah. She and her three friends stopped for milkshakes and began making their way through Logan Canyon when a drunk driver swerved and hit their car.
All four teens were injured, but none more severely than 莎拉. Emergency responders rushed her to Logan Regional Hospital before airlifting her to Primary Children's.
"莎拉's dad and I pulled into the parking lot as 莎拉's helicopter was landing, 但由于COVID-19, 一次只允许大发娱乐中的一个人进去,艾米说。. “当他们把萨拉推进手术室时，我看到了她. 我跟她谈过，告诉她她会没事的.两人说：“我爱你。," then 莎拉 was off to the operating room for several blood transfusions and surgery to stop internal bleeding.
X-rays revealed the accident broke 莎拉's back and severed her spinal cord. She also suffered damage to her aorta, the artery that carries oxygenated blood to the legs. Not yet stable enough for another surgery, 莎拉 would remain in the intensive care unit (ICU). 她的主动脉修复需要等待. 莎拉's legs, deprived of blood and oxygen, would need to be amputated.
医生把莎拉转移到 大发娱乐, which was better equipped for the aortic repair and 截肢 surgery.
"We knew she was in the best place she could be,艾米说。. “给大发娱乐带来的安慰是惊人的."
It wasn't until about two weeks after the accident that 莎拉 fully understood what had happened.
"As I began to wake up more and become more aware, my parents filled me in," 莎拉 said. “我记得当时感觉还好. 我不害怕. I knew the doctors and nurses were doing all that they could."
艾米回忆起萨拉第一次坐在椅子上的情景. "I was nervous about how she was going to react to her legs,艾米说。. "She reached down and felt the end of her legs and said, '的y did a really good job.“这真是太神奇了."
在总, 萨拉在重症监护室住了五周, underwent 20 surgeries—including a spinal fusion—and fought through several life-threatening infections before moving on to 截肢康复 犹他大学健康中心 克雷格·H. 尼尔森康复医院.
一场激烈的战斗
莎拉, 现在18岁, was looking forward to her senior year of high school and final year of cheerleading when she was injured. 决心重新加入她的队伍, the young woman who had rooted for others became a cheerleader for herself.
She worked hard to relearn basic tasks, like getting dressed. 她还学会了侧身打滚和坐起来的新方法.
莎拉的护士, 职业治疗师, and physical therapists incorporated fun into her recovery and 康复. 他们用跳舞来练习平衡, 烤, and created a spa day complete with manicures and face masks.
10月13日, 2020—75 days after the accident that left her paralyzed—莎拉 left U of U Health for her home in Syracuse. 医院工作人员排着队为她加油, and her local community came together for a welcome home parade.
That night, 莎拉 said to her parents, "Now on to the new and improved 莎拉."
“它让我大吃一惊，”艾米说. "She had this attitude that nothing was going to hold her back or stop her from fulfilling her dreams. 她的态度对大发娱乐大发娱乐很大. 大发娱乐知道如果她没事，那大发娱乐也会没事."
莎拉的护理团队同意了.
"She made our job very easy because she wanted to work very hard every day," said 维内萨·李，医学博士他是莎拉的医疗团队成员 尼尔森康复医院他在2020年接受《大发娱乐》采访时表示. "We would try to give her permission to complain or to say it's OK to have a bad day or be grumpy, 她从不抱怨."
10月14日, 2020, 莎拉回家后的第二天, she joined her cheerleading squad on the field for the last home football game of the season. 她继续为整个篮球赛季加油助威, 参加年终演出, 并在2021年5月准时从高中毕业.
After graduation, 莎拉 interned at her former elementary school. 现在就读于位于洛根的犹他州立大学, 她住在校园里，学习小学教育.
新的待办事项清单
莎拉 has used the past year to reflect on her life and the things that matter most. She's shared her positivity with others through more than 40 invited speaking engagements as well as interviews and podcasts.
莎拉也重新审视了她的遗愿清单. So far in 2021, she's gone skydiving and visited Disney World. 她还回顾了过去的几项成就, 比如扔斧头和冲浪, 为了证明她可以做她以前做过的事.
"She can still do the things that we thought might be impossible,艾米说。.
An off-road wheelchair paid for with funds raised by Steve Westover, 谁为了她跑了100英里, 允许莎拉露营和徒步旅行吗. 2021年3月, country singer Russell Dickerson gifted 莎拉 with a fully equipped Chevrolet Traverse, 给她应得的自由和独立.
纪念的时刻
7月30日, 2021, 莎拉出事一年后, all of those affected by that day gathered for dinner and a balloon release.
"We talked about how lucky we are to be alive," 莎拉 said. “大发娱乐可能会以类似的方式纪念每年的这一天."
莎拉 spent the first anniversary of her homecoming—October 13, 2021—sharing her story as a guest speaker for a company retreat in Park City. 她的信息是：感激.
"It's so important to be grateful for what you have," 莎拉 said. “专注于你能做什么，而不是你不能做什么. 每天都要心存感激."
莎拉的法案
的 国家公路交通安全管理局 estimates that one person dies every 52 minutes due to drunk driving crashes. 尽管莎拉和她的朋友们活了下来, they and their families saw a gap in the law meant to deter people from drinking and driving.
7月30日造成车祸的司机, 2021, was arrested and released on bail within just a few hours—while 莎拉 was still in surgery for life-threatening injuries,艾米说。. “就像他们会处理小车祸一样. 这似乎不对."
莎拉, 她的家人, and the others affected by the 2021 crash wanted to see higher bail set for drunk drivers who cause accidents that lead to death or severe bodily injury. 他们与州议员会面起草草案 众议院第47号法案, also known as 莎拉的法案, which gives judges more discretion in setting bail. 的 Utah legislature signed 莎拉的法案 into law in early 2021.