Picture this: you are having the most incredible summer teaching waterskiing in America and you decide to try a new thing… what could go wrong? Well this is what happened to Elizabeth Worton. She talked to me about how she used a major accident (falling 60ft in a quarry lake) to change her life for the better.
What made you want to go to Camp America?
I was just finishing my second year at university and, as we get such long summers, I decided I didn’t just want to stay in the UK and work. Some of my good friends had done Camp America the year before and had loved it so I decided to go for it.
What happened after your accident?
I was only in the hospital for three days, then I went back to my camp and stayed in the infirmary there for a little while as I was still on strong medication. I also had to wear a back brace for 2 months, which I hated and was so uncomfortable which didn’t help. Fortunately, the camp owners were really lovely and said they’d find another role for me if I wanted to stay, as the doctors had told me I wasn’t allowed on the boats. The kids arrived at camp the following day after I came out of the hospital, so it was all guns blazing and I didn’t have time to dwell on my situation or feel sorry for myself, which was really good.
Elizabeth’s back brace.
How did you feel?
It’s a really weird feeling when you have an accident like mine. You know you’re so lucky to still be alive let alone walking, but you also can’t help feeling a bit frustrated and bitter that it has happened in the first place. It was very surreal as it’s not something you ever think will happen to you but you just have to get on with it. I felt guilty for my parents and family as they were so worried about me and I was so far away; my mum freaked out a bit when I first told her. After the initial upset though I just felt so grateful that I was still going to be able to stay out there at the camp.
How scared were you? Did you ever want to give up?
Petrified. When it happened I was trying to crack jokes and pretend that it didn’t hurt as much as it did, as I was convinced that I’d just been badly winded. Especially being with a group of new people, I didn’t want to be a drama queen but after a couple of minutes and my protests at calling 911 it started to sink in that something was seriously wrong. Even going onto the spinal board I was trying to chat away and make light of the situation as I felt really stupid. However, in the ambulance when my breathing got more difficult and I heard them radio through that they couldn’t pick up any compression in my right lung, I was truly scared. At the hospital it was pretty intense as they thought my lung had collapsed and that I had internal bleeding, it was pretty horrendous hearing all the doctors and surgeons talking and knowing they were referring to me. Hearing the confirmation that I’d fractured two vertebrae the following morning was surreal and upsetting as I didn’t know what that entailed and still couldn’t believe it had even happened. Giving up was never an option though. I have a very ‘get on with it’ type of attitude so that’s what I did; there was no point in moping.
What did you do to keep your morale up in the hospital?
I don’t actually remember a whole lot of my stay in the hospital as I was on huge amounts of morphine twenty-four seven and I think I spent a lot of it knocked out. One of the guys who was there when the accident happened stayed at the hospital for the entire time so he looked out for me, and people from camp came by to visit.
How does it feel being back in Leeds starting your third year?
Crazy. Not because of the accident just because it’s my last year!! I still feel like a fresher. I’ve just recently been able to start back in the gym so I’m spending a lot of time in there and doing yoga to build my strength back up. I love Leeds and it’ll seem strange leaving as my three years here have been pretty turbulent, although the best three years I could have asked for.
What have you learnt from the accident?
It’s made me re-evaluate a lot of things. Last year was the first time since I remember that I wasn’t in a sports team and I was pretty lazy with my fitness. Knowing how close I was to not being able to walk has made me appreciate how amazing the human body is. It’s given me motivation to really keep my body in the best condition I can as you never know when it could all just disappear. For that same reason it’s also made me really want to just grab every opportunity or go off and do things which I’ve always thought I’d like to get round to doing, but not actually done.
What advice do you have to anyone who is going through something similar at this time?
You just have to keep your chin up. No matter what happens to you there’s always a million ways it could be worse, or someone else who is having to deal with something worse than you. Luckily I’ll make a full recovery from my injury so it’s easier for me to be optimistic than someone who is going to have to deal with long-term injury. I’m absolutely in awe of people who have disabilities and still manage to stay so positive and accomplish such amazing things, as I really can’t bear to think how I’d have reacted had I been less lucky.
Do you appreciate life more?
Yes. I’m almost grateful I had the accident now as I’m out of the more difficult stage of recovery and it really was a massive life lesson. It kind of acted like a kick up the butt and I feel that I will accomplish so much more in my life now than before; I will never allow myself to become complacent in any aspect.
What an aspiring girl. I’m going to take her advice and live for today!