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Marj relies on faith to help her heal from devastating accident |
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Written by Sherri Gallant
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Thursday, July 02 2009, 9:51 PM |
In the blink of an eye, Marj Machen went from being a fitness trainer and accomplished athlete to a paraplegic in a wheelchair, contemplating her future.
The 42-year-old mother of four and grandmother of two was living in Texas last December when she was knocked off her bicycle by a distracted driver who was talking on a cellphone. Her numerous injuries included a broken neck, and she is paralyzed from her midsection down, with limited mobility in her hands. Fortunately, Machen was taken to Houston’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, one of the best trauma centres in the U.S. At first, doctors didn’t think she’d make it through the night, but when she did, her peak physical condition enabled her to enter an accelerated rehabilitation regime.
She returned to Lethbridge a few weeks ago to continue healing, with the added support of her children, parents and friends.
“At this point in time I feel like it’s God navigating the journey, not just for me but for all of us,” said Machen.
“It was a hard transition coming back, and I do know that I have the support of family and friends, but I was at such a place in my career — I was planning to produce a fitness video. Things were just flowing. I was able to support my family and provide a residual for their future, for college, and for my grandchildren as well. So it’s been a crossroad.”
Machen, a triathlete and marathon runner who helped many people during her years in Lethbridge (she moved to Texas six years ago) now contends with constant nerve pain, a type of neuralgia caused by compressed spinal nerves, leaving most most of her body feeling like it’s on fire. Medications to alleviate the pain help, but she’s frustrated by the dulling effect they have on her energy. She’s planning to design a fitness regime for herself back at her old stomping grounds, the YWCA, as soon as she can.
“(The pain) is not pleasant, but having been an athlete I think I have to take it to a different level, a mental level where I just don’t think about it. What’s going to be key for me is getting back into a regimen back at the Y, and getting back into fitness and getting stronger.”
Already Machen has progressed beyond anyone’s expectations. Houston doctors were astounded at her acceleration, which she attributes to her Christian faith, the prayers of others said around the world, and her level of fitness. While she had health insurance and long-term disability, not everything was included and hospital coverage was limited to 100 days.
Colleagues at the Royal Oaks Country Club, where Machen worked as a trainer, held a benefit concert for her where a who’s who of entertainers (including Grammy-award winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, who came from Belize to sing for the event) helped raise seed money for a foundation so Machen could secure a house back in Lethbridge. When her many friends in Lethbridge heard what happened, they organized a benefit run in February to further the cause.
The man who hit Machen as she rode with her cycling club lives in Mexico and wasn’t insured. But Machen decided early on to move forward.
“There are many stages to go through and there is anger, but the anger is not directed to the gentleman who hit me,” she said. “I really had to go to a place of forgiveness. It’s just freedom. Those things start blocking your healing if you’re consumed with that. Doesn’t mean that the road’s going to be easy, but I know I can overcome a lot because of my faith.”
Machen is pondering the possibility of being a fitness instructor for the disabled, but will focus on her own recovery first.
“I just want to see my kids excel and see them shine, whether it’s in their sports activities or the other things God’s gifted them with. And I think that if I choose to teach in the future, or maybe do motivational speaking, because you never know where God’s going to lead you, as long as I can be a vessel that’s where I’ll go.”
Anyone with expertise in the trades who can offer their services to help Machen finish her basement can make arrangements through Diana Sim, a longtime friend and partnership manager at the YWCA, 403-329-4088.
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