Photo: GoFundMe
A romantic honeymoon on the Hawaiian island of Maui turned tragic when the bride suffered severe injuries while boogie boarding, which left her partially paralyzed.
Nikki Lewis was boogie boarding with her new husband, Will Lewis, in the waters of Maui on September 12, four days after their wedding, when a large wave slammed into the 34-year-old bride from Texas.
The impact of the wave caused Nikki’s head to strike the sand, breaking her neck in two places, according to aGoFundMe pagecreated to help with her recovery. The freak accident left Nikki unable to stand or walk on her own, less than a week after stepping down the aisle and exchanging vows and with her husband.
“It took four grown men to get her out of the water — between the waves, the sand, the incline,” Moorer toldWFAA.
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Nikki — a mom of two and stepmother to one — remains in a hospital in Honolulu.
“Her fairy-tale wedding trip has turned into a horrible nightmare for herself, her new husband, their children and families,” reads theGoFundMepage.
While the couple awaits a flight back to North Texas to continue Nikki’s rehabilitation, the medical bills are mounting, their GoFundMe page states. They have raised $52,000 from nearly 650 donors to help out with expenses over the last two weeks.
“I can’t wait for the daywe can be back home,” Will — who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment — wrote in the caption of aphotographof his wife sleeping.
While their marriage may not have begun the way they imagined, Will says he has newfound faith that his wife will one day walk again.
“I was convinced day one of the accident my beautiful wife wouldn’t walk again,” Will posted on the Facebookpage. “I was wrong! Mrs. Miracle! She sat up!”
It’s these small moments of progress that give their friends and family hope.
“You just have a renewed faith that everything is going to be fine,” Moorer toldNBC 11. “She’s going to get back to being her old self, you can already tell nothing’s going to stop her.”
source: people.com
