CANYON, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Ellie Hanes was welcomed home by family, friends and the community after spending five months in the hospital and rehab after recovering from a spinal cord injury.
Earlier this year Ellie was injured while skiing in Colorado with family. After the accident she was transferred to the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. Before being transferred to a hospital in Baltimore to continue healing.
“While she was at Baltimore, she received diaphragmic paces which help her with her breathing,” explained family friend Mary Wheat. “And Oklahoma City then took that and just was the rehab facility she needed to really get that going and get her comfortable with that process and using those on a regular basis and she’s ready to come home.”
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In preparation for Ellie coming home the Hanes family had to figure out if they would need a new home to accommodate their new lifestyle or make renovations to their current home. That’s where the community stepped in and helped renovate the Hanes family home. From breaking down the house to beams and building it back up, it was all done with Ellie in mind.
“It’s just amazing how many people in this community truly rallied around their family,” said Wheat. “Everything in that house is geared towards Ellie. It’s what can we do to make sure that she can maneuver, she can have feel comfortable, this is going to be their safe space. And it’s just amazing how much thought was put into it.”…