16-Year-Old Cheerleader Has 'Slim' Chance of Walking Again After Suffering Spinal Injury
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A Texas community is rallying around a 16-year-old cheerleader who experienced a severe spinal cord injury during a tumbling exercise gone wrong.
More than $106,500 has been raised through GoFundMe for cheerleader Makayla Noble, who is now hospitalized after being injured in a "freak" tumbling accident earlier this week.
"[She] has a long road of recovery ahead," a description on the donation page explained.
Jenn Noble, Makayla's mother, said her daughter's chances of walking again following the Sept. 20 incident are "very slim."
"Please pray for our beautiful girl!! She had a tumbling accident tonight," Jenn wrote in a post to Facebook. "She has a spinal cord injury. She is out of her first surgery and it went better than expected! They are holding off on the next surgery for right now. Thankful for the small victories! Please continue to pray!"
According to CheerMAD, Makayla is both a high school cheerleader and a member of Cheer Athletics' Worlds champion Cheetahs.
Family friend Tiffany Smith told KDFW that Makayla's loved ones are still holding out for a miracle.
"Medically speaking, her prognosis is not what we would hope for, her report is not one that we would want for her," Smith said. "But Makayla loves Jesus and she serves a big God. And we are believing totally that she's going to have a miracle."
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Makayla is an active social media user and has used her Instagram and YouTube pages to document her cheerleading journey.
"Makayla is a world-class athlete," Smith told KDFW. "She's trained by the best of the best at Cheer Athletics. This was a freak accident in somebody's backyard. This was not a cheer practice. This wasn't on a mat with a coach."
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While her recovery is still in the early stages, Smith said Makayla is expected to be in physical rehabilitation for at least a year. The teenager is doing her best to stay positive despite the circumstances.
"One of the last things she said to her mom before she went into surgery was one, 'God's got a plan,' " Smith recalled. "And we totally believe that. We trust in that."
