Just over a year after being struck by an alleged drunk driver, Tina Adams will undergo a potentially life-changing operation that could help her walk without any aids.
In June 2015, Adams was out jogging in Hudson with a friend when she was hit by a car.
She suffered a cracked skull, a fractured spine, a blood clot in her head, a traumatic brain injury, two punctured lungs, internal bleeding as well as fractured ribs, hip and pelvis.
The complex hip replacement surgery will take out the metal plates, then insert a cage around her hip before putting the plate back in to give Adams back the four inches of height she lost in her right leg after the accident.
READ MORE: Hudson jogger in critical condition after being struck by car
The surgery was originally scheduled for Nov 30 at the Montreal General Hospital, but has since been rescheduled to Dec. 2 and now Dec. 9.
“My surgeon wants to be sure that I’m the only patient she has that day,” Adams told Global News, explaining the surgery could take anywhere between four and 12 hours.
“The surgery involves many risks: my right leg could be paralyzed if they damage any nerves in it, my foot could become a dropped foot and the worst case scenario, I could lose my life.”
After the procedure, Adams will have to stay off her feet for at least six weeks.
READ MORE: Young Quebec woman finds beauty in her scars after hit-and-run crash
“I’m hoping that this surgery will allow me to walk without any walking aids, but I know I will always need a wheelchair for long distance for the rest of my life in order to not wear out my hip,” she told Global News.
“You could only get two or three hip replacements in a lifetime, depending on how much your bones wear out. I know that once I get my hip, I will not be allowed to run because it will wear out my hip really fast and I will not be allowed to do any high impact activity.”
WATCH BELOW: Two joggers are injured after being knocked down by a drunk driver heading home after a golf tournament. Tim Sargeant reports.
Adams said she barely remembers anything of the accident.
“I do not remember three weeks before my accident, but when people would remind me of things, like what I did a few days before or the day of the accident, some things would come back to me,” she said.
“I do get flashbacks of the accident sometimes, but I do not know if it’s me making up scenarios in my head or if it’s really what happened.”
Evan Adams, Tina’s father, said he’ll never forget the day a firefighter told him his daughter had been in an accident.
“Every time I remember, tears roll down my eyes,” he told Global News, explaining he just wants her to be able to live a normal life from now on.
“I asked where Tina was and he told me she was taken by ambulance. Right there, I knew in the pit of my stomach something was definitely wrong. I told my wife, ‘put your shoes, on we are going to the hospital.'”
READ MORE: Hudson driver who ran over two joggers granted bail
Rather than looking back on what happened to her, Adams said she’s now focusing on the surgery – and her future.
Adams had been studying police technology at John Abbott College, but won’t be able to return as the program includes a physical test.
“I am considering on pursuing something in criminology, or maybe even become a gym teacher,” she said.
“A gym teacher isn’t necessarily about the physical, but about the teaching skills. We will determine everything once I start walking again, which will hopefully be in two months.”
IN PHOTOS: Tina Adams finds beauty in her scars
The family has just one message to anyone who considers driving drunk.
“Drinking and driving is a selfish and irresponsible act. Why would you put your own life and the lives of others at risk?” Adams said.
“Using your vehicle while impaired is like walking up and down the street with a loaded pistol. I don’t want anyone out there to have to go through what I went through. I thank God every day for giving me a second chance at life.”
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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