Injured teen keeps dream of dancing

Max · 06-05-2003, 10:51 AM

Injured teen keeps dream of dancing
Allison Few suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a trampoline accident.
By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star
>> Click here for more about Carrie

ROCKFORD - In carefree seconds during a long Memorial Day weekend, Allison Few jumped, flipped and landed on her neck on the trampoline that's been in her back yard almost since she learned to walk.

Today, family from across the country maintain an around-the-clock vigil at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. Eventually, Allison, 13, will be moved to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Allison suffered a severe spinal cord injury. A ventilator breathes for the Kennedy Middle School student whose e-mail address is "lil dancingrl." The tall girl with bright brown eyes and a smile that shows recently removed braces is paralyzed from the chest down.

A phone message days after the accident notified the family of Allison's acceptance into Auburn High School's advanced dance program. She had danced in a district production of "The Wiz." The cheerleader dreamed of fame as a dancer.

"We don't want to tell her that she's never going to walk again," said her oldest sister, Katie Pozzi. "Miracles happen."

Backflip goes wrong

Allison has been dancing on stage since age 3. She's known for lively dramatics, but she kept herself together as the minutes ticked past 10:30 a.m. May 25.

Allison and classmate Hannah Kennedy, 13, both three-year cheerleaders at Kennedy, were practicing backflips.

The 5-foot-7 teen never cried when the backflip went wrong and she landed on her neck. She was sprawled with one leg awkwardly bent on the center of the trampoline. She told Hannah to get her mom.

Allison's dad was working in the yard of their Blythe Road home in Caledonia. Jay Few saw Hannah run inside for help, then he got to his daughter's side.

"Dad," Allison told him, "I can't feel my legs."

A former coach, Jay Few knew he had to hold Allison's head immobile. Carol Few called 911.

Moments later, volunteer firemen and paramedics from North Park Volunteer Fire Department converged on the lawn. Deputy Chief Steve Pearson found a calm dad, keeping his daughter calm. Allison's father continued to hold her head until a neck brace was in place.

"If anyone is a hero here, it's Dad," Pearson said.

The deputy chief opted to let Dad continue keeping Allison still rather than risk replacing him on the trampoline. "We wanted to minimize movement," he said.

Pearson said Allison's was the most serious trampoline accident he's seen. He checked Allison's foot reflexes and found none. Pearson stepped out of hearing range and called for a helicopter.

Twenty-five minutes after the flip, a helicopter landed in the back yard and took her away.

"Don't worry about me, Mom," Allison said.

X-rays showed that the spinal cord, high on her neck, was crushed.

Measuring time

Time is measured differently for the Few family now.

Within 45 minutes of jumping on the trampoline, Allison was at Saint Anthony's. Within hours, she'd been operated on. Within 10 hours, sister Erika and brother David arrived in Rockford from Las Vegas.

On the fourth day, she mouthed "manga," the Italian word for "eat" that her grandmother taught her.

On the eighth day, nurses sat Allison in a chair. She can move her arms and wrists, but fine movement is lost. The tubes stop her from talking; she communicates by lifting her eyebrows.

A teary-eyed father called Allison the strong member of the family. She's the youngest, but she's the coordinator and the one who "holds us all together."

A scrapbook of pictures and signatures documents visitors and gifts. There are cards from classmates and schools across the country in this family of educators. "The compassion is just amazing," Jay Few said.

Hannah has visited nearly daily, along with classmate Matt Johnson. Allison and Matt met in third grade at Marsh, when Allison was a foot taller than he was.

Matt plans to be the first person to dance with Allison when she's back.

When that happens, Allison will find the backyard trampoline gone. It was her parting request as she was flown away.

"Get rid of the trampoline," she told her dad.

He did.

E-mail to a friend
http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your...605-7003.shtml

gvinton · 06-05-2003, 11:27 AM

Trampolines suck.

Leo · 06-06-2003, 11:08 AM

Anyone in Il, area want to contact this reporter and drop family a note.

"We don't want to tell her that she's never going to walk again," said her oldest sister, Katie Pozzi. "Miracles happen."

They shouldn't tell her that and the Miracle will come through research ect. IMO

DAD,
Jay Few
129 Phelps Ave
Rockford, IL 61108-2453
(815)399-8680

By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star

cwatters@smtp.registerstartower.com

Carrie Watters
Education reporter
Work Phone: (815) 987-1242

Max · 08-23-2003, 02:16 PM

Injured girl to return to class

http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your...23-18807.shtml

After being paralyzed from the neck down May 25, Allison Few worked all summer to recover from her accident.
By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star
>> Click here for more about Carrie

CALEDONIA - She was hooked to a ventilator and paralyzed from the neck down three months ago.

But Allison Few will walk through Auburn High School's doors for her first day of high school Tuesday.

The 14-year-old, whose e-mail address is "lil dancingrl," spent her summer recovering from a trampoline injury. During the Memorial Day weekend, Allison crushed her spinal cord.

She still doesn't have complete mobility of her left arm, but she returned home Wednesday from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

In her living room Thursday, she demonstrated her tap-dancing ability. In bare feet and shorts, she shuffled her feet and swung her arms. "I've still got rhythm," she said with a smile.

On Friday night, friends gathered for a party in her honor.

"I've learned not to take the little things for granted," said Allison, who still focuses on every muscle and motion used to walk. "No one should. One second could change your life."

Am I going to die?

The tall, brown-haired girl has a ways to go. She struggles with nightmares and panic attacks.

The trampoline in the back yard is gone. It's difficult to look out the back window. She still can hear the screams of her friend and mother.

On the morning of May 25, Allison was on the trampoline with a school friend when she attempted a back flip. She landed in the center of the trampoline on her neck.

Allison said she wasn't in pain. Her dad held her still.

"I just kept asking him if I was going to die," Allison said.

After two weeks at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, where she had surgery to fuse bone fragments from her hip to her neck, she was taken to Chicago.

In the second week of rehabilitation, Allison could move her arms. She could brush her teeth and eat, with some adaptations, independently. Splints were attached to her hands, which had limited fine motor skills.

She moved her right toe in the third week, and eventually she was bending her knees.

Allison was 12 months old when she walked the first time. During recovery, parents Carol and Jay Few watched as their daughter learned to walk a second time.

Allison moved from walkers with dizziness, pain and fear, to climbing steps. It was one flight and then two. It was 10 steps by herself and then 30, 60 and 100.

"They just push," Allison said.

Ready to go back

Allison had family beside her at all times.

Her mother, a Hononegah High School teacher, spent nights at the hospital. The pair got through hard times with humor. When a fearful Allison tried to reassure herself by saying "My mind's OK," her mother joked that soon Allison would remember she was fluent in French and had a driver's license.

"I do?" the 14-year-old asked.

Her mom laughed.

Allison's father, sibling, family and friends were frequent visitors. "This has been an odyssey," said father Jay Few.

Like any relationship between teen and parents, Allison is ready for what's next. Mom and Dad are struggling not to keep her in a bubble.

Allison will wear a neck brace to school for safety. Rockford schools will provide an aide, at least at first. Allison can write but she still is slow.

She also will have a wheelchair at Auburn for long distances. Folded and leaning up against a wall in the family's house, the wheelchair is rented.

"I know it's for safety," Allison said. "I just don't like the wheelchair anymore." Safety tips

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov) recommends the following safety tips for using trampolines:

* Always supervise children who use a trampoline.

* Allow only one person on the trampoline at a time.

* Do not allow somersaults.

* Place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas.

* Do not allow the trampoline to be used without padding that covers the springs, hooks and frame.

* Net enclosures can prevent injuries from falling off the trampoline.

Contact: cwatters@registerstartower.com; 815-987-1242

How to help

* What: A quiz-style pub fund-raiser for Allison Few

* When: 6 p.m. Sept. 14

* Where: John's Restaurant, 2914 11th St.

* Cost: $5 for each member of the four-member teams.

* For more information: Call Lori Drummond-Cherniwchan at 815-966-3300, ext. 198,
or e-mail her at chernil@rps205.com. Trampoline injuries

Trampoline-related injuries tripled between 1991 and 2000, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports. Trips to the emergency room rose from about 37,500 in 1991 to nearly 100,000 in 2000.

Here are some facts on trampolines from the CPSC and the International Trampoline Industry Association:

* The CPSC received reports of 11 deaths by trampoline between 1990 and 2000.

* Falling off the trampoline is the most frequent cause of death.

* Landing on the neck while attempting a somersault is the second-most frequent cause of death.

* Six- to 14-year-olds make up almost two-thirds of the ER visits.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photos by Christina N. Elbers/Rockford Register Star
Allison Few (right), 14, of Caledonia gives a huge hug to her sister, Katie Pozzi of Rockford, for helping throw a surprise welcome home party for her Friday at the Paulson Barn in Argyle to celebrate Few's recovery from a trampoline accident that left her paralyzed.
View full-sized photo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allison Few (left) greets family and friends during her surprise welcome home party Friday at the Paulson Barn in Argyle.
View full-sized photo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Acid · 08-25-2003, 12:28 PM

Once fell sideways on some tramopline, head bent to the side, neck spine segments seeming to make sort of crackling sounds. Scared me. But good luck nothing serious, and a while later seeming O.K. enough again.
Anyway, yeah, dangerous.

NANDA · 08-29-2003, 03:30 PM

MY BROTHER JUMP TO HAVE A WATERPOLO GAME AND HAD A SCI C5, THIS ARTICLE FOR ME AND FOR HIM BECAUSE I WILL SHOW IT TO HIM AGAIN GIVE US HOPE. ALLISON WILL BE FINE, GOOD FOR HER. MY BROTHER IS GETTING BETTER,HE HAS SENSATION ALMOST EVERYWHERE, AND HE IS MOVING HIS RIGHT LEG WITH HIS HIP. WE HAVE FAITH. AS DR WISE SAYS, RECOVERY IS THE RULE NOT THE EXCEPTION.

NANDA

06-05-2003, 10:51 AM	#1
Max Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Montreal,Province of Quebec, CANADA Posts: 15,036	Injured teen keeps dream of dancing Injured teen keeps dream of dancing Allison Few suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a trampoline accident. By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star >> Click here for more about Carrie ROCKFORD - In carefree seconds during a long Memorial Day weekend, Allison Few jumped, flipped and landed on her neck on the trampoline that's been in her back yard almost since she learned to walk. Today, family from across the country maintain an around-the-clock vigil at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. Eventually, Allison, 13, will be moved to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Allison suffered a severe spinal cord injury. A ventilator breathes for the Kennedy Middle School student whose e-mail address is "lil dancingrl." The tall girl with bright brown eyes and a smile that shows recently removed braces is paralyzed from the chest down. A phone message days after the accident notified the family of Allison's acceptance into Auburn High School's advanced dance program. She had danced in a district production of "The Wiz." The cheerleader dreamed of fame as a dancer. "We don't want to tell her that she's never going to walk again," said her oldest sister, Katie Pozzi. "Miracles happen." Backflip goes wrong Allison has been dancing on stage since age 3. She's known for lively dramatics, but she kept herself together as the minutes ticked past 10:30 a.m. May 25. Allison and classmate Hannah Kennedy, 13, both three-year cheerleaders at Kennedy, were practicing backflips. The 5-foot-7 teen never cried when the backflip went wrong and she landed on her neck. She was sprawled with one leg awkwardly bent on the center of the trampoline. She told Hannah to get her mom. Allison's dad was working in the yard of their Blythe Road home in Caledonia. Jay Few saw Hannah run inside for help, then he got to his daughter's side. "Dad," Allison told him, "I can't feel my legs." A former coach, Jay Few knew he had to hold Allison's head immobile. Carol Few called 911. Moments later, volunteer firemen and paramedics from North Park Volunteer Fire Department converged on the lawn. Deputy Chief Steve Pearson found a calm dad, keeping his daughter calm. Allison's father continued to hold her head until a neck brace was in place. "If anyone is a hero here, it's Dad," Pearson said. The deputy chief opted to let Dad continue keeping Allison still rather than risk replacing him on the trampoline. "We wanted to minimize movement," he said. Pearson said Allison's was the most serious trampoline accident he's seen. He checked Allison's foot reflexes and found none. Pearson stepped out of hearing range and called for a helicopter. Twenty-five minutes after the flip, a helicopter landed in the back yard and took her away. "Don't worry about me, Mom," Allison said. X-rays showed that the spinal cord, high on her neck, was crushed. Measuring time Time is measured differently for the Few family now. Within 45 minutes of jumping on the trampoline, Allison was at Saint Anthony's. Within hours, she'd been operated on. Within 10 hours, sister Erika and brother David arrived in Rockford from Las Vegas. On the fourth day, she mouthed "manga," the Italian word for "eat" that her grandmother taught her. On the eighth day, nurses sat Allison in a chair. She can move her arms and wrists, but fine movement is lost. The tubes stop her from talking; she communicates by lifting her eyebrows. A teary-eyed father called Allison the strong member of the family. She's the youngest, but she's the coordinator and the one who "holds us all together." A scrapbook of pictures and signatures documents visitors and gifts. There are cards from classmates and schools across the country in this family of educators. "The compassion is just amazing," Jay Few said. Hannah has visited nearly daily, along with classmate Matt Johnson. Allison and Matt met in third grade at Marsh, when Allison was a foot taller than he was. Matt plans to be the first person to dance with Allison when she's back. When that happens, Allison will find the backyard trampoline gone. It was her parting request as she was flown away. "Get rid of the trampoline," she told her dad. He did. E-mail to a friend http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your...605-7003.shtml

08-23-2003, 02:16 PM	#4
Max Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Montreal,Province of Quebec, CANADA Posts: 15,036	Injured girl to return to class/Amazing recovery!! Injured girl to return to class http://www.rrstar.com/localnews/your...23-18807.shtml After being paralyzed from the neck down May 25, Allison Few worked all summer to recover from her accident. By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star >> Click here for more about Carrie CALEDONIA - She was hooked to a ventilator and paralyzed from the neck down three months ago. But Allison Few will walk through Auburn High School's doors for her first day of high school Tuesday. The 14-year-old, whose e-mail address is "lil dancingrl," spent her summer recovering from a trampoline injury. During the Memorial Day weekend, Allison crushed her spinal cord. She still doesn't have complete mobility of her left arm, but she returned home Wednesday from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In her living room Thursday, she demonstrated her tap-dancing ability. In bare feet and shorts, she shuffled her feet and swung her arms. "I've still got rhythm," she said with a smile. On Friday night, friends gathered for a party in her honor. "I've learned not to take the little things for granted," said Allison, who still focuses on every muscle and motion used to walk. "No one should. One second could change your life." Am I going to die? The tall, brown-haired girl has a ways to go. She struggles with nightmares and panic attacks. The trampoline in the back yard is gone. It's difficult to look out the back window. She still can hear the screams of her friend and mother. On the morning of May 25, Allison was on the trampoline with a school friend when she attempted a back flip. She landed in the center of the trampoline on her neck. Allison said she wasn't in pain. Her dad held her still. "I just kept asking him if I was going to die," Allison said. After two weeks at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, where she had surgery to fuse bone fragments from her hip to her neck, she was taken to Chicago. In the second week of rehabilitation, Allison could move her arms. She could brush her teeth and eat, with some adaptations, independently. Splints were attached to her hands, which had limited fine motor skills. She moved her right toe in the third week, and eventually she was bending her knees. Allison was 12 months old when she walked the first time. During recovery, parents Carol and Jay Few watched as their daughter learned to walk a second time. Allison moved from walkers with dizziness, pain and fear, to climbing steps. It was one flight and then two. It was 10 steps by herself and then 30, 60 and 100. "They just push," Allison said. Ready to go back Allison had family beside her at all times. Her mother, a Hononegah High School teacher, spent nights at the hospital. The pair got through hard times with humor. When a fearful Allison tried to reassure herself by saying "My mind's OK," her mother joked that soon Allison would remember she was fluent in French and had a driver's license. "I do?" the 14-year-old asked. Her mom laughed. Allison's father, sibling, family and friends were frequent visitors. "This has been an odyssey," said father Jay Few. Like any relationship between teen and parents, Allison is ready for what's next. Mom and Dad are struggling not to keep her in a bubble. Allison will wear a neck brace to school for safety. Rockford schools will provide an aide, at least at first. Allison can write but she still is slow. She also will have a wheelchair at Auburn for long distances. Folded and leaning up against a wall in the family's house, the wheelchair is rented. "I know it's for safety," Allison said. "I just don't like the wheelchair anymore." Safety tips The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov) recommends the following safety tips for using trampolines: * Always supervise children who use a trampoline. * Allow only one person on the trampoline at a time. * Do not allow somersaults. * Place the trampoline away from structures and other play areas. * Do not allow the trampoline to be used without padding that covers the springs, hooks and frame. * Net enclosures can prevent injuries from falling off the trampoline. Contact: cwatters@registerstartower.com; 815-987-1242 How to help * What: A quiz-style pub fund-raiser for Allison Few * When: 6 p.m. Sept. 14 * Where: John's Restaurant, 2914 11th St. * Cost: $5 for each member of the four-member teams. * For more information: Call Lori Drummond-Cherniwchan at 815-966-3300, ext. 198, or e-mail her at chernil@rps205.com. Trampoline injuries Trampoline-related injuries tripled between 1991 and 2000, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports. Trips to the emergency room rose from about 37,500 in 1991 to nearly 100,000 in 2000. Here are some facts on trampolines from the CPSC and the International Trampoline Industry Association: * The CPSC received reports of 11 deaths by trampoline between 1990 and 2000. * Falling off the trampoline is the most frequent cause of death. * Landing on the neck while attempting a somersault is the second-most frequent cause of death. * Six- to 14-year-olds make up almost two-thirds of the ER visits. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Photos by Christina N. Elbers/Rockford Register Star Allison Few (right), 14, of Caledonia gives a huge hug to her sister, Katie Pozzi of Rockford, for helping throw a surprise welcome home party for her Friday at the Paulson Barn in Argyle to celebrate Few's recovery from a trampoline accident that left her paralyzed. View full-sized photo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allison Few (left) greets family and friends during her surprise welcome home party Friday at the Paulson Barn in Argyle. View full-sized photo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Print This Page

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06-05-2003, 11:27 AM	#2
gvinton Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chino Hills, CA Posts: 519	Trampolines suck.

06-06-2003, 11:08 AM	#3
Leo Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Yankton, South Dakota Posts: 3,950	Anyone in Il, area want to contact this reporter and drop family a note. "We don't want to tell her that she's never going to walk again," said her oldest sister, Katie Pozzi. "Miracles happen." They shouldn't tell her that and the Miracle will come through research ect. IMO DAD, Jay Few 129 Phelps Ave Rockford, IL 61108-2453 (815)399-8680 By CARRIE WATTERS, Rockford Register Star cwatters@smtp.registerstartower.com Carrie Watters Education reporter Work Phone: (815) 987-1242

08-25-2003, 12:28 PM	#5
Acid Banned Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Berlin Posts: 1,779	Once fell sideways on some tramopline, head bent to the side, neck spine segments seeming to make sort of crackling sounds. Scared me. But good luck nothing serious, and a while later seeming O.K. enough again. Anyway, yeah, dangerous.

08-29-2003, 03:30 PM	#6
NANDA Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: BOGOTA D.C. COLOMBIA Posts: 40	MY BROTHER JUMP TO HAVE A WATERPOLO GAME AND HAD A SCI C5, THIS ARTICLE FOR ME AND FOR HIM BECAUSE I WILL SHOW IT TO HIM AGAIN GIVE US HOPE. ALLISON WILL BE FINE, GOOD FOR HER. MY BROTHER IS GETTING BETTER,HE HAS SENSATION ALMOST EVERYWHERE, AND HE IS MOVING HIS RIGHT LEG WITH HIS HIP. WE HAVE FAITH. AS DR WISE SAYS, RECOVERY IS THE RULE NOT THE EXCEPTION. NANDA