00:00I was cured and paralyzed by the same surgery because I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia.
00:05At first, I didn't want to believe it.
00:08It was like, there's no way this could be happening.
00:10I was going in to get something fixed, and I come out, and I've lost so much.
00:17Doctors told me I would never walk again, but I know I'm going to prove them wrong.
00:22Today, my friend Enrique is coming over, and I'm going to try and break my record for standing time.
00:27I'm nervous to see what I can do, but this is the next step towards walking again.
00:31Three, two, one.
00:40This is my formula.
00:42I have this condition called gastroparesis, which makes me unable to really digest food.
00:47So this is a feeding tube, and the tube goes into my small intestine.
00:51And because I was paralyzed before getting diagnosed with this, I was already, like, more used to that routine.
00:59And so this has just been added on to it.
01:04I wake up an hour earlier now just with all my other medical stuff, too.
01:08Tell us a little about the heart symptoms you started experiencing when you were younger.
01:15When I was 15, my heart rate got to 225 laying down, and my whole body was just feeling so weird.
01:24They did an EKG, and they found something wrong with my heart and diagnosed me with Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome.
01:30So it was basically an issue with, like, the electrical system in your heart.
01:35It's episodes of really rapid heart rate, and a normal heart beats like this, and mine was beating like this,
01:42like, kind of, like, all over the place.
01:44A few years after my diagnosis, I was going back to boarding school, and I really wasn't feeling good,
01:50and I knew an episode was coming.
01:52I woke up in the back of the airplane getting CPR and oxygen.
01:57I was terrified.
01:59I was rushed to the hospital, and I just remember, like, the beeping was nonstop.
02:05The surgery I had, what they did was they had, like, wires, and they went in through my neck and, like, my groin.
02:12I had, like, an extra pathway in my heart, and they kind of just, like, got rid of it.
02:17The surgery cured my heart.
02:19I don't have Wolf-Parkinson-White anymore.
02:22When I woke up from surgery, I realized something was wrong.
02:26My legs were in excruciating pain, and within the span of three days, I was paralyzed from the waist down.
02:34Basically, what happened while I was in surgery, I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia,
02:40and it caused my brain to disconnect with the pathways in my legs.
02:46I think hearing that news at first, I didn't want to believe it.
02:49I was like, there's no way this could be happening.
02:53I was going in to get something fixed, and I come out, and I've lost so much.
03:00I can't move my legs.
03:01I'm in pain 24-7.
03:03And I think hearing that was just, like, I'm not going to let that happen.
03:10I'm going to walk again.
03:11So, this is my standing frame.
03:18I use this every day, and basically, this gets me into a standing position.
03:24So, I started going to this paralysis gym, and they have machines there, and one was called
03:32an exoskeleton.
03:33And with the exoskeleton, it's basically this, like, robot that kind of, like, walks for you.
03:39Here are some videos of me in the exoskeleton machine.
03:44Once I had more core strength, I was able to start using that, and honestly, it was the
03:49best feeling in the world.
03:50I wasn't doing it on my own, and the machine was doing it, but I was still getting that
03:54walking movement.
03:55So, I started this GoFundMe to help me get the tools I need to walk again and support myself.
04:02I'm going to be using the money for an exoskeleton and then hand controls for a car.
04:06The exoskeleton is so important because that gets my legs in the walking motion.
04:11Some say with that, that I'll be walking, and then others have just said, you're not
04:14going to walk again.
04:15When they said that, I was like, that's not true.
04:19I know I'm going to walk again.
04:20I know I can do this, and I'm going to prove them wrong.
04:24Let's do some standing.
04:26I was like, you know what?
04:28I'm going to just start standing and maybe post some videos about it and see where it
04:32goes.
04:32And then I started getting views on it and encouragement, and that really helped me a
04:37lot.
04:37I put a lot of energy into my social media accounts.
04:40I post a lot on there on my recovery and journey and walking again.
04:45When I was at the gym, they had this walker with actually a piece of wood that blocked,
04:49so I was able to use it, and I was like, oh my gosh, I want to make my own and work on
04:54standing.
04:55I do like daily kind of things on my Instagram.
04:59I just kind of see how long I can go.
05:01My friend Enrique is coming over, and I'm going to try and break my record for standing
05:05time.
05:06Hi.
05:07How have you been?
05:08I'm good.
05:08How are you?
05:09Good.
05:09Good.
05:11Just been, yeah, going all over the place.
05:15Been in Seattle for a few days.
05:17So I'm trying to set a new standing record.
05:20Would you be down to film it?
05:21Yeah, of course.
05:22We can definitely give it a go.
05:23My current record is four minutes.
05:25I am hoping to break it and do five minutes.
05:28I think it will be challenging, but I think I'll be able to do it.
05:34All right, let me know when you're ready.
05:35I'm ready.
05:37Three, two, one.
05:42All right, and we're up.
05:43I met Enrique through Instagram.
05:45He slid into my DMs and was like, hey, I'm also from Washington.
05:50I was like, oh my gosh.
05:51And yeah, we started talking.
05:53All right, we're at 25 seconds.
05:56I saw she was playing for the Kraken sled hockey team, and I thought that was super cool and
06:01interesting.
06:01And I went to a few practices with her, and we've just kind of been friends since.
06:06We are coming up on the two-minute mark.
06:09Just kind of seeing the strength that she has to keep pushing forward and just live her
06:15life, regardless of any situation that's been thrown at her, definitely is inspiring.
06:21You're doing so good, Bella.
06:25Three, two, one.
06:28Five minutes.
06:30Oh my gosh.
06:32Oh my gosh.
06:33Today, Bella set out to break her record with standing.
06:38She absolutely crushed it.
06:40How does that make you feel?
06:41Tired.
06:41Tired.
06:42Very tired.
06:43I can't believe I did it.
06:45I'm very proud of myself.
06:47There's nothing holding her back from walking again.
06:51Let's go, Tay.
06:52Oh, yes.
06:55Come on, sugar.
06:56Let's go.
06:57For so long, I had such black and white thinking and just like, oh, I'm never going to get better.
07:03And then I was like, I only get this life once.
07:06Why do I want to live it?
07:07Just thinking like, I'm never going to walk again when I could get up and try.
07:12Three years ago, if I saw where I was today, I would not believe it.
07:17I have come so far.
07:20I did not think I would be able to stand five minutes on my walker.
07:24Bella's done an amazing job overcoming just every circumstance life has thrown at her.
07:29She finds a way to make it work, and I look forward to seeing the progress she makes going forward.
07:37If anyone watching this is going through what I'm going through, just remember, even on the hard days, look for the light and that it does get better.
07:46You only get this life once, and it's precious.
07:49It may seem like times are so hard, and you just want to give up, and you don't see a point.
07:55Just got to keep going.
07:56You decide how you want to see a situation and move forward.
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