"Stephanie Nielson: Plane crash survivor regains hope"
December 13, 2009 10:50 AM   Subscribe

Climbing Back: A year with Stephanie Nielson. A two-part feature on the year following the fiery plane crash that almost took her life. posted by ThePinkSuperhero (13 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Jesus CHRIST I can't believe this woman, or any survivor of burns that bad. I truly don't know if I could do even 1/100th of what she's doing.
posted by nevercalm at 11:05 AM on December 13, 2009 [1 favorite]


She really is a great woman, and blogger. I wish her a lot of luck.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:59 AM on December 13, 2009


I was amazed to hear that doctors think that it could be possible for her to give birth after a few more years of healing. Has such a thing ever been done, enabling a pregnancy for someone who survived with burns like that? What a triumph that would be.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:02 PM on December 13, 2009


A sobering reality check.

Given that a pregnancy would involve additional elective surgeries (to add gestation-specific skin flaps), all so she can realize her goal of having ten children--instead of "just" the four she already has now--I admit to having small-minded thoughts about who should pay for that, given how many go without the most basic resources (and lack a $250,000 trust donated by strangers in time of crisis).

That being said, she and her family seem like wonderful, tough people and I wish them all the best.
posted by availablelight at 1:07 PM on December 13, 2009


Even deep in a coma, she could hear the razor buzzing.

That made me do a double-take. You can hear in a coma?
posted by stinkycheese at 3:41 PM on December 13, 2009


I was linked to this blog through a friend about three years ago. I remember reading the post about her crash one morning and just being shocked that it could happen to such a picture perfect family.

While I don't share many of her political viewpoints (or dig her monetizing her blog with "giveaways" and such), I do think that she is a strong example of a woman who is dealing with some incredible challenges and trying to find the positive in all of it. If she wants to share her political perspective or make some ad money, that's her choice.

It was interesting how she said she changed the story of her husband rescuing her, so he wouldn't feel so guilty about not being able to open the door to get in and rescue her. I can't imagine the shock that they were in at that moment and he certainly can't be blamed for not going back. I am glad they have worked that part out.

I too wondered about the pregnancy thing, and wondered if she would ever consider going the surrogate route.
posted by timpanogos at 3:56 PM on December 13, 2009 [1 favorite]


Painting of Stephanie. Interesting blog, thanks.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:57 PM on December 13, 2009


Oh, I love her blog! She gives me the warm fuzzies. It's all so beautifully honest. I wish I could be more like that.
posted by Sassyfras at 6:45 PM on December 13, 2009


I started following her blog after her one year anniversary post was on the blue (found here). She is truly strong and I could never imagine going through all of the pain and stress she and her family is in. She has an amazing story to tell. While I don't love the yay Mormon stuff it seems clear that their faith has had the biggest impact of all on their recovery and motivation to go at it another day.
posted by janelikes at 6:58 PM on December 13, 2009


-You can hear in a coma?-

I believe it's fairly established knowledge that the sense of hearing is the most persistent or last to go in altered states of conciousness (which I guess could be anaesthetic, coma or drug & alcohol induced). I presume, although I can't say categorically, that even when all outward signs point to a static vegetative or deeply subdued state that, like when we are sleeping, many coma patients travel through deeper and shallower levels of consciousness and that hearing is the first sense to return in those shallower states.

Certainly it's always been the common practice when caring for an unconscious patient to assume that they are capable of hearing. In fact I'd say that it's the accumulation over the decades of anecdotal testimony from people such as Stephanie that has caused treatment providers to adopt a policy of always assuming that what they say at the bedside can be heard (a popular tv trope to trash/play around with of course).

Thanks for the post TPS.
posted by peacay at 7:30 PM on December 13, 2009


What are the worst burns anyone is recorded to have survived?
posted by gottabefunky at 11:54 PM on December 13, 2009


I started following her blog after her one year anniversary post was on the blue (janelikes)

So did I. I don't share her faith or politics, either, but I find her blog absolutely riveting, both because of her personal story and because it's a window into a culture parallel to but different from my own.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:44 AM on December 14, 2009


Given that a pregnancy would involve additional elective surgeries (to add gestation-specific skin flaps), all so she can realize her goal of having ten children--instead of "just" the four she already has now--I admit to having small-minded thoughts about who should pay for that, given how many go without the most basic resources (and lack a $250,000 trust donated by strangers in time of crisis).

I wonder if she might be able to have it done as part of a trial- I really don't know if there's any precedence for something like that, I would imagine there must be a doctor somewhere who's interested in trying it out.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:07 PM on December 14, 2009


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