Teen Cheerleader Makayla Noble May Never Walk Again After 'Freak' Tumbling Accident
A teenage cheerleader from Texas may never walk again after she damaged her spinal cord in a "freak" tumbling accident.
Makayla Noble, 16, was tumbling in a backyard on Monday when the incident occurred, Fox4 reported.
In a Facebook post shared on Monday, her mother Jenn Noble wrote: "Please pray for our beautiful girl!! She had a tumbling accident tonight. 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!"
Jenn Noble wrote in a subsequent Facebook post: "Results from MRI show that no second surgery is needed. The injury is just too severe. The chances of Makayla walking again, medically speaking, are very slim.
"Our prayer request at this time is for swelling to go down and for her to regain the feeling in her hands. Please continue to pray for a miracle in Mak's life. God hears our prayer and He is able."
Jenn Noble thanked people for their thoughts and prayers. "We hear and feel each of them," she said.
Tiffany Smith, a family friend, told Fox4: "This was a freak accident in somebody's backyard. This was not a cheer practice. This wasn't on a mat with a coach."
Smith described Makayla Noble as a "world-class athlete" who was "trained by the best of the best." She said she had been a cheerleader for the majority of her life, training many times a week.
Noble has cheered for Prosper High School in Texas, and competitive cheer program Cheer Athletics, NBCDFW reported.
The details of the incident were not clear. Tumbling is a type of gymnastics where the individual performs moves such as flips, jumps, twists and rolls. These can feature handstands, cartwheels and back bends. Tumbling generally does not involve props.
Fox4 reported she will likely be in hospital next week. Smith said Makayla Noble's rehab and recovery could take between 12 to 18 months.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people prayed outside of Medical City Plano, the hospital where Makayla Noble is being treated, NBCDFW reported.
Evelyn Grace Pecory, a friend of Noble, told NBCDFW: "Even last night, before going into surgery, she told her mom, 'Don't worry. God has a plan for me.' And just hearing those words from her makes me have so much faith about how big my God is, and I know he's going to deliver in this situation."
A GoFundMe page for the teenager has raised $84,901 at time of writing since it was set up.
