Teenage gymnast paralyzed during practice
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SEATTLE -- A teenage gymnast is in the fight of her life at Harborview Medical Center, paralyzed from the chest down after landing on her neck during practice.
"I think this is one of the worst nightmares for a parent," said Gretchen Miles.
Her daughter, Jacoby Miles, is in a hospital bed surrounded by friends and family.
"She cant move and she is having to deal with this at the age of 15," Gretchen said.
Jacoby was warming up on Friday at Roach Gymnastics in Sumner and practicing a dismount she's landed countless times.
In a post on Facebook, Jacoby's coach said "she got lost during the second rotation of her double back and opened up early and then landed on her neck."
Her spinal cord wasn't severed, but Jacoby "lost all feeling from her chest down instantly," said her father, Jason Miles.
"It's very frightening to not be able to move," he said.
The most painful part may be coming to terms with her new reality.
"We've had to talk with her about what's going on and it's harder to see her try to deal with it," Jason said.
And for her parents it's tough not knowing what kind of life their daughter will be able to lead.
"Being able to go and work and have a family," Gretchen said.
But Jacoby is a competitor and a fighter at heart.
"I personally think thats what is going to help her beat this, is that same drive," Jason said.
Jacoby is able to move her shoulders and has some feeling in her arms. While doctors believe there's a chance she could regain movement in her wrists, they say it's unlikely Jacoby will walk again.
But she and her family are hoping for a full recovery.
"We have to prepare mentally for the worst and pray for the best," Jason said. "I know God has big plans for her."
"I think this is one of the worst nightmares for a parent," said Gretchen Miles.
Her daughter, Jacoby Miles, is in a hospital bed surrounded by friends and family.
"She cant move and she is having to deal with this at the age of 15," Gretchen said.
Jacoby was warming up on Friday at Roach Gymnastics in Sumner and practicing a dismount she's landed countless times.
In a post on Facebook, Jacoby's coach said "she got lost during the second rotation of her double back and opened up early and then landed on her neck."
Her spinal cord wasn't severed, but Jacoby "lost all feeling from her chest down instantly," said her father, Jason Miles.
"It's very frightening to not be able to move," he said.
The most painful part may be coming to terms with her new reality.
"We've had to talk with her about what's going on and it's harder to see her try to deal with it," Jason said.
And for her parents it's tough not knowing what kind of life their daughter will be able to lead.
"Being able to go and work and have a family," Gretchen said.
But Jacoby is a competitor and a fighter at heart.
"I personally think thats what is going to help her beat this, is that same drive," Jason said.
Jacoby is able to move her shoulders and has some feeling in her arms. While doctors believe there's a chance she could regain movement in her wrists, they say it's unlikely Jacoby will walk again.
But she and her family are hoping for a full recovery.
"We have to prepare mentally for the worst and pray for the best," Jason said. "I know God has big plans for her."
As a former gymnast and a current competitive gymnastics coach this accident hits close to home. Praying for a full recovery for you Jacoby, stay strong and never give up fighting for what you want.Â
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As for those of you who are blaming the parents for letting her do this sport you obviously know nothing about gymnastics. In order to get to Level 9 you have to have a pure love for the sport. If you are being pushed into the sport you rarely make it very far because gymnastics requires an insane amount of work and dedication. This was an unfortunate accident, every coaches, parents and child's worst nightmare. It is not fair, but no matter what you do in life you take risks and sometimes accidents happen.Â
My heart goes out to Jacoby and her family! I am praying for a speedy recovery, and don't let any of the idiotic comments some of these people are making deter you from your goal of fighting to overcome this horrific accident. Get well soon Jacoby!
This is why kids should not be pushed to do these kind of things. Because her parents did not say no to her doing this she will not be able to do anything she loved doing. shame on the parents they should be the ones to take the blame for this. they ruined there daughters life
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 @Bigs Ones Might be a good idea if you crawled back under whatever rock was protecting you!
 @Bigs Ones You are an idiot! This is something she WANTED to do! Do you have kids? Are you going to keep them in a box, lock them in their rooms and never let them do anything they want to do? Shut the hell up, you are an idiot!
 @Bigs Ones wow, who are you to talk, horrible thing to say
@Bigs Ones Why are here always people who come out of the wood work to say such negative and hurtful things in a time of need and sadness. Shame on you!!! My daughter is a gymnast. She chose the sport against my will, but I would rather have her in a club than trying to flip herself around without the correct coaching. Accidents happen in every walk of life. If Jacoby herself had not loved the sport she would not have made it to level 9. Yes, there are parents who live their dreams through their children but do not judge a book by its cover until you have read the book. To blame the parents without knowing is insensitive and shameful. Jacoby was to land in a pit, very safe yet accidents happen and she opened to early, a freak accident in the blink of an eye. Think before you spew hateful garbage at people who are devestated and about a sport that you probably know nothing about.
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 @Bigs Ones Really???? OMG!! We would not have any sports hero's if that were the case. "Accidents" happen for God's sake! She could have been in a car accident and had the same outcome. There is risk in everyday life. My daughter is a gymnast - and yes, at times it's terrifying as a parent but she is doing something she loves and it's making her a stronger person and I will always support her in going for her dreams - even if it scares me to crap at times......
 @Bigs Ones Maybe gymnastics is something she loved doing and made the choice herself.  My son plays hockey, I don't push him to play, he pushes himself to get better and loves to play every minute he can.  As much time and money it takes sometimes I wish he would go back to soccer but it's his choice.  It's funny because out of all the sports he's played, his only injury came in soccer when he hyper-extended his knee.
 @Bigs Ones There is quite a bit of ground between not telling her no, and forcing her into it. Ruining someone's life would involve keeping her at home taking zero chances and learning nothing about life, then expecting her to somehow grow into an intelligent, independent adult capable of weighing risks and making smart decisions.Â
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain; but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.  Praying for a full and speedy recovery. â¥
Lets all send her healing as well as best wishes.
Bruising, shock, the body trying to heal after truama if the child's spinal cord is fine then Please God all feeling will return. A friend's daughter had an injury to the neck and she could not move her legs but slowly feeling came back she said it was like being defrosted.  She was in Guy's Hospital London not stoke Manderville. She was initially only saved because a student doctor was walking by the car accident and held up her neck and demanded a neck brace from the ambulence crew. She was left on a trolley for hours in casualty until the xray revealed the extent of the injuries then it was all out emergency initially the hospital thought it was just whiplash. So please take heart.
Please God tingling starts. She is young and surely the body will start healing and is just closed down to deal with this massive amount of work to be done. I see this hope as the spinal cord is intact and discs out of place etc.
I don't understand why the coach is even commenting on facebook page. Undoubtedly there will be some investigating about this tragic accident.
As for the other commenters who think cheerleading and gymnastics are not the "same", think again. Cheerleading today is extremely acrobatic and injuries are skyrocketing.
My heart goes out to Jacoby and her family. Stay strong in your faith. It's going to be a long road ahead but miracles can and do happen.Â
 @newsreader Cheerleading and gymnastics are NOT the same. Yes the both have risks but they are completely separate except that cheerleaders can tumble.Â
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@newsreader It doesn't say he posted on her page, just that there was a post on facebook. Maybe a team page, or school page even. Why would there be an investigation even if he did post on her page? What in the world would that have to do with her getting hurt? Come on!
 @newsreader Some of the things I've seen cheerleaders do about puts standard gymnastics to shame.
Not being degrading, it's just that it's a team thing and everything better go perfect.
I would like to talk to this girl. Â My husband got a bruised spinal cord on November 6th 2011 and was Harborview. Â He experienced some of the same issues. Â I have some words of encouragement and my husband is walking with a walker part time but we KNOW he'll walk again. Â Be sure to check out Pushing Boundaries in Redmond right away. Â They work with spinal cord injury patients, strokes, falls etc. Â They have been amazing. Â You can do this girl!!! Â If anyone knows how I can contact her or if I can, please let me know. Â I'd love to give her some words of encouragement. Â Don't ever let anyone tell you what THEY think you cannot do. Â We will be praying for you. ~ Jenna Â
 @Jenna Schoenbachler I've been in Harborview; they have an e-mail system where you can send well wishes. Look on their web site; you'll find it.  Volunteers bring the e-mails around once or twice a day depending on who's available.Â
It's a huge bright spot to an unpleasant situation, even the ones from strangers.Â
 @Jenna Schoenbachler It says she is at harborview, I don't see why they wouldn't let you leave a message for the family. You could leave your phone number in case they want to get more information from you. Bless you for trying to help out.
My heart goes out to her. Regardless of how old a person is, being told you're paralyzed is terrifying news. I hope she gets the support she will need and that one day that maybe through the advancement of medicine, the ability to walk again.
Oh, my dearl little girl. I can't begin to imagine the difficult path you are about to take, but I pray you receive all the support and love you need, to get you through this. Please be as patient as you can be, and know that you obviously have a lot of good folk wishing you all the best. I add my prayers to theirs, for your complete healing.
I hope the family reads some of these comments. Last December my nephew went through a remarkably similar accident (just on a trampoline) He had No feeling or movement from the neck down. His spinal cord was not broken either... and while progress is slow, he too is a fighter and his goal is to walk (even if it's with a walker) by Christmas this year. He is very very close... you will find a facebook page that marks his progress and I would think at some point you all will find this very encouraging. His name is CJ Severson and he is in southern Oregon. He was 16 when his accident happened... hang in there it's not an easy road... but there is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel.
@BKiser I hope your nephew continues to improve. If you have not already spoken to a Chiropractor you may want to consider it. The spine hold all of your nerves in your body. If any of your vertebre are out of place then the body will not function properly. A good chiropractor will be able to tell your family if they wil be able to help or not, just by looking at x-rays.
@Krystal Howard A chiropractor is the WORST suggestion imaginable for this injury...please refrain from offering paraprofessional medical advice, particularly when you clearly have no idea what you're talking about...
Bad things happen to good people all the time. This is no one's fault. This girl was doing something wholesome and worthwhile. She wasn't driving around drunk or texting something stupid to her friend.
Prayers for a speedy recovery. I hope that before she knows it, this girl will be on her feet, landing that very same dismount.
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 @Larry Fiendish Man, I wouldn't even say anything that stupid.
 @Larry Fiendish another troll alert. smh
 @Larry Fiendish I wish you could trade places. You deserve it, she does not.Â
@ Larry Fiendish Crawl back under your rock, Troll.
 @Larry Fiendish Why do you live like this?
@Larry Fiendish...It never ceases to amaze me the sheer number of pathetic losers that post on these sites to get a rise out of the "good" people that have compassion for those enduring pain and suffering. What doesn't surprise me is the "Larrys" of the world that hide behind a false identity. My girls go to Roach Gymnastics. I'll be there tonight at 6:00. Come in with a sign on your shirt that says "Larry Fiendish" if you have a "set"!!!
@PJMcH He won't, because he is only brave online. There are many chicken shi&s out there who hide online but wouldn't dare say it in person, and I have a strong feeling "Larry Fiendish" is one of them!
@Larry Fiendish, Â You are in worse shape than this girl will ever be in. Â Nothing left to say about a person like you. Â
@Larry Fiendish I hope one day, when you need it the most, you receive all the compassion you are showing now.
You are one sad excuse for a human larry....
 @Larry Fiendish Yeah, a 15 year old becoming paralyzed is real funny. WTF is wrong with you?
Who cares? I don't care about this. This is not news. Stop covering a little girl and start covering real news, please.
So....what exactly is "your" news? This is news to someone.....get over yourself!
 @SolntsevskayaBratva Troll alert!
 @SolntsevskayaBratva you're seriously such an idoit dude. i know her. i was there when it happened. i watched the entire thing happen. roach gymnastics is my second home, and if something happened to your kid like this, you would approach the news differently. stop acting immature and grow the hell up. keep your negativity off this page and away from Jacoby and her family.Â
@ SoIntsevskayaBrava I don't believe anyone held a gun to your head & forced you to click on the article & read it. Troll.
@SolntsevskayaBratva  As I just posted to Larry Fiendish, I hope one day, when you need it the most, you receive all the compassion you are showing now. You two should hook up. You are obviously "soul-less mates."
@SolntsevskayaBratva  Wait...I am trying to grasp what you just wrote. You are heartless. If you don't care, why did you even read the story. You, go look in a mirror, seriously. Look in a mirror and realize your reflection is that of one ugly person.
Hey Ah@le solntsevsky obviously you took the time to read and comment on this article!!! WTF loser.....
 @SolntsevskayaBratva If you go to another page you read about all of the other news. Stop being a jack ass. Idiot
@SolntsevskayaBratva
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I personally know this family and I don't appreciate your comment. Would you rather have them keep covering one police shooting after another? This is so news. Maybe not the news you want to hear, but news none the less.Â
Heartwrenching. I got my daughter out of gymnastics and into dance instead. Cheerleading is only behind football in injuries, it just didnt feel right.
 @kbbcoop I'm trying to figure out why you mention cheerleading injuries while simultaneously telling us you got your daughter out of gymnastics. You DO know they're not the same thing, right? Cheerleaders tumble, yes, but gymnasts do so much more. Jacoby was a Level 9 gymnast, not a cheerleader.
 @kbbcoop My research and quick searching shows that to be false.  Soccer, basketball, and gymnastics have a higher rate of injuries than cheerleading for girls.  One Article I read specifically addressed your claim and media claims of the same and have concluded them to be false.
ok well gymnastics then...same principle. Gravity folks, its a real downer.
 @kbbcoop Yes, two different disciplines that do come together, still different.
 @kbbcoop Your personal preaching is hardly necessary. I am sure the parents feel badly enough. Just continue to be thankful that you made a different choice for your child and STFU. No one cares about your kid except you.
@ kbbcoop As your userid implies- you can "coop" up your child & wrap them in bubblewrap & they can still get hurt. Most serious accidents happen in the home. Most serious car accidents happen within a few blocks of home. I had a dear friend who suffered through childhood with an overly-protective-helicopter-mom. She celebrated her 18th birthday by swiming with sharks. Her 21st? Skydiving.
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"A life unlived is no life at all."Â Should some major disaster befall your child (ie "the big one - earthquake; a major storm like Sandy, or a host of other possibilities), your child will be ill-equipped to handle a real emergency.Â
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I feel sorry for your kid. This girl was doing what she loved. Walking across the street is also dangerous.
I hope youre kidding and not really that stupid. There are literally TONS of "Gymnastic and Cheerleading Academies" in business. They kind of go hand in hand. Not like, say, Football and Curling....if that was the case you may have had a point.
 @kbbcoop Gymnastics and cheerleading are hardly the same, not even close.
@kbbcoop This isn't cheerleading. This is gymnastics. Much different level of fitness, conditioning and practice. Not even close. Second - what Marvin said. Let's all live super safe lives doing super safe stuff, and walk around in super safe bubbles. Which means no more driving your car - that is dangerous stuff. If you live for your safety your life is absurdly boring. You find your passion and if your passion carries certain risks then you manage that risk but living a passionless is a fairly meaningless existence - like going thru the motions without feeling anything. Safety's just danger out of place.
Look at that pic of that girl in the hospital and say that again. Easy if you are not her parent. Like i replied earlier, my daughter does not sit on the couch and play video games. She is active in dance and plays Varsity Tennis. I understand your point, buts its not relevant in our household.
 @kbbcoop You can't lock kids up in a padded room. These things are tragic when they happen, but our helicopter parenting today is making our youth forget completely that it is sometimes risky to do things. That's one reason we live in a society where kids stay indoors and play video games and have no idea what its like to hit a baseball.
My daughter does not sit on the couch and play video games. She is active in dance and plays Varsity Tennis. I understand your point, buts its not relevant in our household.
@kbbcoop I love how you refer to "your household" as if you were the dean of some highly esteemed academic center of research. Reproductive organs are common to all members of our species; brains are not--and parenthood isn't a profession. Your child's experience isn't "relevant" to this family's ordeal either, and the fact that you believe that you have so much influence on your daughter that you "got her out of gymnastics" suggests such an alarming naïveté about your role as a parent that I'm not really sure you have the authority to speak on your daughter's behalf anyway. You can try to foster a sense of your personal values in your children, but when that extends to controlling their interests and passions, it stops being about them and starts being about you. All I know is that if I were a teenager and caught my mom writing about me as if I had no free will of my own, I'd be steaming mad, not to mention humiliated. What was your motivation in writing your post anyway? Did you not get picked for the cheer leading squad in high school?