Less than two months after suffering a brain injury and a broken pelvis in a 39-foot fall from a fifth-floor window, Paige Raque was discharged from a rehabilitation center in Louisville, Ky., and has been told by doctors she is ready to start outpatient therapy.
Raque, 19 and a Penn State cheerleader, fell from a five-story window in Calder Commons on Oct. 13. She was taken to the trauma center of Altoona Regional Health System before being moved out of the intensive care unit to a rehabilitation center in her hometown.
Raque, who only recently regained the ability to speak, addressed the media at a press conference on Tuesday in Kentucky. She told reporters her rehabilitation process had been difficult, but it has ‘helped her to be more determined.’
‘I needed every person who rallied behind me,’ Raque said. ‘My goal is to get back to school. I absolutely want to go back, possibly in the fall, but I don’t want to set any deadlines for myself.’
Raque was rehabbing at Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, part of KentuckyOne Health. Darryl Kaelin, M.D., Frazier Rehab Institute, and chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the Department of Neurological Surgery, commended Raque’s recovery efforts.
‘Paige is a testament to the resiliency of youth, the results of a wonderful medical team and the prayer of her family and the community,’ Kaelin told reporters.
‘Paige is a true example of a walking miracle. She was very healthy before her accident, has incredible family support and has experienced abetter than average recovery.’
Kaelin said typical physical recovery time for injuries similar to Raque’s is three months. Cognitive recovery takes about six months.
Raque’s family was by her side.
‘This will be the greatest Christmas ever in the Raque family,’ said Tom Raque, Paige’s father. ‘We want to thank all of those who prayed and continue to pray for Paige. Those prayers have worked. We are blessed to have a facility like this in Louisville.’
‘We knew from the beginning that this was bigger than any one of us,” said Robin Raque, Paige’s mother. ‘When people asked us what they could do, we asked them to pray.’
Through tragedy, the family found a way to become stronger.
‘It has brought our family closer together,’ Tom Raque said. ‘We believe God has a plan for her life.’
WHAS11, a local Louisville news station, was at the press conference on Tuesday.
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