‘Getting stronger and moving forward’

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This article was published 10/08/2018 (2759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The word “miracle” hasn’t been used yet to describe the recovery of Rebecca Fentum-Jones, but that’s what it just might be.

In eight weeks, the 22-year-old has gone from being in a coma with life-threatening head trauma to walking with assistance and speaking in a whisper.

“‘Astounding’ has been used a few times,” said Richie Rodgers, her boyfriend of three years. “She’s doing really well. She is exceeding everyone’s expectations of where she should be. Especially this early.”

Fentum-Jones, an experienced rider and horse trainer, was thrown from a horse and landed on her head on a paved road in what was called “a freak accident” on June 17 while volunteering at a horse-rescue ranch near St. Malo, 80 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.

She was nearing the end of a trail ride when the horse, which she had ridden before, stumbled coming out of a ditch to cross a road. She was not wearing a helmet and was thrown over the horse’s shoulder.

“It is kind of crazy to see how quickly she is progressing, getting stronger and moving forward,” Rodgers said.

“Every professional who has seen her has been pretty amazed at how quickly she is getting better. We were told that it would have been totally normal for her to still be unconscious. We’ve heard a few of them say that hers was one of the most serious injuries that they’ve seen.”

Rodgers and Fentum-Jones met when they were playing basketball at Providence University College in Otterburne for the men’s and women’s teams.

While there is no simple explanation for her astonishing recovery thus far, her physical strength as an athlete, mental toughness and young age, in addition to medical care she received, have all likely figured into the equation.

“They’ve also told us it (recovery) can depend on the personality of the person. Like how motivated they are, how driven. Stuff like that. She was always renowned for being knocked down on the court and always getting back up when she was playing,” Rodgers said.

“She’s always been a fighter and been pretty tough and not liked to let anything keep her down, so that could be contributing to it.”

In June, there were early warnings from medical staff at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre she might not regain consciousness and, if she did, her injuries could be life-altering.

By mid-July, she was trying communicate.

“It was almost like one day, a light switch turned on,” Rodgers said.

“First, she started opening her eyes, and she would kind of look around the room. You could get her attention, she’d look at you and then kind of drift away.

“Then, all of sudden… she started trying to mouth words and then pretty much every day, it’s just kept getting a little bit better.”

He said Fentum-Jones currently has to whisper, due to an issue with her vocal cords.

“Most of the stuff right now is still sit and wait and see… They keep reminding us that she is in the early stages (of recovery) considering when her accident happened.”

Rodgers and Fentum-Jones’s parents, Alison Fentum and Todd Jones, had kept an around-the-clock vigil for weeks at her hospital bedside, but are now able to talk with her, encourage her in physiotherapy and support her on what is still a long road ahead.

A surgery was done to relieve pressure on her brain when she was first hospitalized, and the early stages of recovery were carefully controlled and monitored by her doctors and medical caregivers.

Rodgers said there are no guarantees or time frame with her recovery because it is already in unprecedented territory.

But, hope for a full recovery has replaced the fear of losing her.

Another milestone came Wednesday when Fentum-Jones started using a walker to get around.

Fentum-Jones, who graduated in 2017 from Providence with a degree in business administration, has worked in the horse business for the past three years at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Misty River Ranch near Île-des-Chênes and the K-5 Stable in Rosser.

K-5 manager Leona Stahl set up a fundraising web page (gofundme.com/rebecca-fentum-jones) to assist Fentum-Jones.

The fundraiser has raised $15,000.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca