Norfolk High grad overcomes accident on road to graduation

But July 31 derailed any expectations Bailey Suehl had of what her senior year would be like.

That day, the motorcycle she and her boyfriend were riding was struck by a car. In a second, her new beginnings became uncertain and her series of lasts very well could have included walking.

Among Bailey’s many injuries was a broken back — which included two broken vertebrae, with a third bursting — and a bruised spinal cord.

So, instead of starting school in August and finishing her high school degree in December like planned, she spent a month paralyzed.

There were two weeks in the intensive care unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She underwent three surgeries — two on her legs and one on her back. Then she transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, where she underwent all-day physical therapy five days a week.

On Oct. 9, she was released to go home, where she continued work with Spier Physical Therapy of Norfolk.

“When I was at Madonna, I’d always have that depressing breakdown because I never thought my legs were going to work and I thought I was going to be in a wheelchair,” Bailey said.

The fact that her doctor at Madonna suffered a spinal cord bruise that he had never completely recovered from didn’t improve her outlook.

Then she finally saw progress. Bailey was able to move the toes on her right foot, and that eventually became being able to “kick out” her leg.

It surprised her doctors.

“I’d say a month after the accident, I started moving everything, and my neurosurgeon at the med center was amazed,” she said. “He said he’s never seen a spinal cord injury just kind of come out that fast. He said, ‘This is the shortest one I’ve ever seen. Most of them take maybe two years.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to wait that long.’ ”

And she didn’t.

That gave her motivation to start working toward her ultimate goal — to walk again.

Four months later, she did.

She’ll walk across the stage this Sunday to receive her high school diploma.

“I was like, ‘OK, I don’t want the wheelchair anymore, I just want to be back to my normal self, do all my things again,’ ” she said. “I mean, therapy gets boring after a while, but I still want to do it all the time.”

It’s paid off. She first started walking using foot braces and a walker. Since her muscles have strengthened, she no longer uses the braces but still uses the walker.

When she went back to school in January, she was mostly confined to a wheelchair because walking between classes was too tiring.

March 17 was her goal — set with the help of two teachers — to use her walker at school.

“It felt pretty good to make that goal,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to. I think I made it to third period, and then I had to use my chair. I was like dead tired.”

Still, it was a major accomplishment.

Her next goal is to start using canes.

“I wanted by Madison County Fair time to have one cane, but then I kind of thought about all the rocks and people, and maybe I should have my walker, but at least having one cane at that time would be good,” Bailey said. “But I’m hoping for the second year to come around from the accident to not have to have anything at all, occasionally a cane or something.”

With graduation around the corner, Bailey said it was surreal. Her family — who was integral in her recovery process — may be more excited for it than she is, she said.

But she’s ready.

Bailey’s practiced using her walker to get across the stage, and she’s been accepted into Northeast Community College’s pre-nursing program.

She’s always wanted to be a nurse, especially after hearing stories from her cousin who is in the profession. But her accident further cemented the idea.

“Going from Faith Regional to flying to the Med Center where I was under 24-hour nursing, seeing all what they can do,” Bailey said, “it inspired me.”

At the moment, she’d like to be able to work as a nurse in the intensive care unit at the Med Center or at Madonna in the spinal cord injury unit. Specifically if she worked at Madonna, she’d like to be able to share her story with patients and let them know that there is hope.

For Bailey, the next step is nerve-wracking, she said. She’s getting ready to go back to work at Northern Hills Daycare next week to save up for college, and college orientation is just around the corner in June.

But as with each challenge she’s dealt with this year, she’s facing her future head on.