American acrobat who broke her neck 2 weeks ago in Bali during an aerial hoop performance makes it back to Taiwan
Taiwan News
Date: 2017/11/10
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An American aerialist, who shattered her neck in multiple
Samantha Lee on her way home. (Image from Lee’s GoFundMe page)
places during an aerial hoop performance in Bali, finally arrived in Taiwan Wednesday (Nov. 8) on medevac, and is undergoing surgery today (Nov. 10), over two weeks since her gruesome accident.
On Oct. 26, Samantha Lee, 28, who goes by the stage name “Sam Panda,” was in the midst of a performance of aerial hoop in front of an audience at Finn’s Beach Club in Canggu, Bali when the cable supporting her apparatus suddenly and inexplicably released, causing her to hurtle straight for the hard, concrete stage. As she was in an inverted position at the moment the cable gave way, she landed head first, causing multiple injuries to her neck.
When she arrived at the hospital, doctors discovered that she suffered a broken C5 vertebrae, as well as two burst discs between C5 and C6 and C6 and C7. She also has spinal cord damage and a shard of bone lodged in her spinal cord which is preventing her from walking. She also received eight stitches on her head for lacerations to her scalp. [FULL STORY]
