PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -
It's been a year of transition for 25-year-old Katy Blake of
Pascagoula. She was left a quadriplegic following a diving accident in
the summer of 2010. Since then, she has made remarkable progress in her
recovery, with a major milestone reached just this past weekend.
Katy Blake
is getting around much better these days, thanks to a month long stay
at the world famous Shepherd Re-Hab Center in Atlanta earlier this
year.
"I did a lot of therapy as far as learning how to regain
my independence, as well as learning how to walk again," Katy explained.
"They put me on a machine called the Locomat, which, if you can
imagine, it's almost like a robotic suit that goes on my legs and my
arms and actually puts me over a treadmill."
Katy said It wasn't all work though.
"I
got to go to a camp where I got to ride a jetski, and waterski and
zipline and just all sorts of amazing things that I would not be able to
do had it not been for Shepherd," Katy said.
She still loves to paint, and her creations help raise money for additional re-hab.
"I've
done three art festivals since we last spoke, and it has been just
amazing. The response I've gotten has just been incredible," Katy
recalled.
The highlight of the year? A chance to meet her idol,
Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Saturday, giving him a special
painting.
"He's extremely genuine, his smile," Katy said. "You
can just see what a good person he is. When he speaks to you, he makes
you feel like you're the only person in that room when he's talking to
you. Very, very easy to talk to."
One thing that Katy has
discovered over the past year in the power of social media like Facebook
and Twitter and other social media sites. It's been a tremendous help
for her to get the word out and also to feel some compassion from her
many friends.
"It's really helped me through, when I'm upset and
I go on there and people offer so many words of encouragement and
inspire me so much. So it's really been very therapeutic, as well as
helping me raise money financially," Katy explained.
That, and a little inspiration from Drew Brees never hurts.You can learn more about Katy's journey at http://rehabforkaty.org/.
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