HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla. — A 32-year-old Riverview mother is relearning to walk after a major fall.
Kristina Andrews survived a four-story fall that left her paralyzed from the neck down, and she is now living in a nursing home.
Andrews said she was hanging lights on her balcony when she fell four stories. She survived, but spent about a month in the hospital undergoing surgeries and fighting to stay alive.
“At that moment I was paralyzed from the neck down. I was like that for about a month,” Andrews said.
Andrews began a long road to recovery. She slowly started to regain movement in her arms and fingers and started working to relearn how to walk.
After several months of intensive rehabilitation, Andrews' coverage for that level of care ended. She was eventually moved to a nursing facility in Dunedin.
Andrews said, “Since it’s a nursing home, I’m the youngest person here and I’m the person that needs the most help.”
Her three-year-old daughter is currently in Texas. She said being reunited with her daughter is what keeps her going.
“I want to be able to be independent for my daughter. I want to be able to cook, to clean. I want to be able to transfer myself go to the bathroom,” Andrews said.
Andrews currently goes to rehabilitation three times a week. On the days she does not have therapy, she said she works out on her own in her bedroom to regain strength.
She said each rehab session costs around $280. A grant is currently helping pay for the treatment, but Andrews knows those funds will eventually run out.
Andrews was uninsured when she fell. She is now covered by Medicaid, but Dr. Bill Hennessey explained Medicaid can only cover a certain amount of acute intensive rehab and patients must meet certain criteria.
Dr. Hennessey said, “One key criteria for acute intensive rehab is do we expect Krissy to go home?”
Andrews said her goal is to become strong enough to live independently and eventually return home to her daughter.
“Again, I’m 32 I can’t imagine spending another 5 years here let alone the rest of my life here,” Andrews said.
She is raising money to help pay for the rehabilitation through gofundme. Andrews said a grant from the Walking with Anthony organization is currently paying for her sessions.
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