Courage and Determination; Nelson glad to be home
Anne Nelson with parents Matt and Teri (Record Photo/Lindsay Vaught)
MADISON- Anne Nelson was back in her element. A Bob Jones football game with the band and dance team. But she wasn’t on the field performing or in the stands dancing, she was in a wheelchair.
Earlier in the day she had graduated from her rehabilitation program at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta and returned home to Madison. She will take some time off before starting another program and eventually returning to Auburn to finish her degree.
Her life changed forever June 23 when she was a passenger in a car that veered off the road and struck an embankment. Airbags saved the lives of the two people in the front but Anne was in the backseat. She suffered a badly broken right arm. Her spine was broken and she was paralyzed from the waist down. She spent three days in ICU and another two weeks in Huntsville Hospital.
Her parents Matt and Teri kept vigil and eventually moved her to The Shepherd Center in Atlanta where she spent 3 months undergoing intense physical therapy.
“Shepherd teaches that disability shouldn’t hold you back from achieving your goals in life,” Matt said.
“Anne has been really strong going through the therapy and she has become an inspiration to other patients. She’s hard to keep up with.”
She has walked and stood with a walker.
Her parents have been amazed by her courage doing what needed to be done despite their fears.
Anne at Atlanta Braves game threw out the first pitch Aug. 31 (Contributed)
Teri took Anne to tour Auburn University and assess their access for disabled students.
“Auburn has an entire gym and weightroom specifically for people with disabilities. It is for their para-olympic teams, they call it adaptive sports. Now I’m thankful that is where she will be going,” Teri said.
Nelson will complete her nursing degree with a minor in dance when she returns to school in the spring.
Her parents bought a Subaru Forrester vehicle to carry her wheelchair. She took lessons and can now drive a vehicle using hand controls. Subaru America will cover the cost to modify the vehicle for no charge, a value of $1,345.
Neighbors in the family’s West-Highlands subdivision pitched in and took care of the Nelson’s home and yard during their long absences. Coworkers covered for Matt while he was away from work.
Anne Madeline Nelson is a 2015 graduate of Bob Jones. She was captain of the dance team and a strong personality at school.
While in Atlanta former Bob Jones principal Robby Parker and his wife visited Anne. She got visits from relatives and friends. Already this football season she has attended games at Troy and Clemson.
Just being at home will be therapeutic for her. Dozens of well-wishers greeted her at the game. The Bob Jones dance team gathered around her in a group picture. Anne and seniors on the current dance team were teammates two years ago.
“It’s very emotional,” Anne said of visiting with her former classmates.
There have been tough times as the gravity of her situation became apparent.
“It has been a test of my patience. With nerves its a slow process. All my years training in dance and ballet have helped me through this. My parents have been great. There is a lot to learn as caregivers. My arm was in a cast for 5 weeks.”
She was selected to represent Shepherd patients at a Braves game and threw out the first pitch at a game on August 31. She was joined at the game by a group of her Zeta Tau Alpha sisters from Auburn.
