A woman who was left paralysed from the waist down after being hit by a drunk driver managed to walk down the aisle at her wedding.
Erin Rollins, 33, of Chicago, was driving in November 2014 when she was involved in a collision that paramedics said she was lucky to survive.
The freelance journalist suffered a spinal cord injury that sent shards of bone into her spinal canal and abdomen.
Cuts in her bowel led to internal bleeding, which needed emergency surgery, and paralysis from the waist down. She has had eight operations in total.
Over the next two years, she re-learnt how to walk with the loving support of her husband, Dennis, 39, whom she married two years after her accident.
Despite her life and health being permanently damaged, Mrs Rollins forgave the drunk driver on the day of her sentencing, hugging her in court.
Erin Rollins, 33, of Chicago, walked down the aisle to marry Dennis, 39, two years after she was left paralysed from the waist down after being hit by a drunk driver
Mrs Rollins was driving in November 2014 when a she was involved in a collision that paramedics said she was lucky to survive. She had to re-learn to walk. Pictured in a wheelchair while wearing a brace to support her back
Shards from Mrs Rollins' spine cut holes into her bowel, causing internal bleeding which needed emergency surgery. Pictured in hospital immediately after the crash
Mrs Rollins remembers being in hospital after the crash and feeling numb, but initially thinking it was because of medication. Pictured, being visited by Mr Rollins
Mrs Rollins said: 'I may not have physically died on November 9, 2014, but I lost my life.
'Before the crash, I had dreams of having a career in journalism, but now I'm faced with the harsh reality that despite gaining back a lot of function in my body, I still have devastating losses that people don't see from the outside.
'I'm faced with these losses every time I have to say no to something because of pain, or because I'm physically unable to participate.
'I will never be able to restore the time that was lost. I can forgive and move on, but the losses and sadness remain.'
After a drunk driver travelling the wrong way came around a corner and collided with Mrs Rollins, she was rushed to hospital.
Staff ran tests and checked Mrs Rollins, who couldn't feel anything - she initially thought this was due to the pain medication.
However, she was found to have suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury and two burst fractures which sent shards of bone into her spinal canal, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.
Mrs Rollins said: 'My memory from after the crash is very spotty and I remember specific moments.
'I remember being wheeled backwards into the ambulance, but I had no idea what happened.
Mrs Rollins, pictured with a doctor learning how to walk again using a stick and harness hanging from the ceiling, suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury and two burst fractures which sent shards of bone into her spinal canal, resulting in paralysis from the waist down
Pictured, following emergency surgery to repair her organs and internal bleeding after shards of bone caused holes in Erin's colon, small intestine and bowel
Mrs Rollins has had eight surgeries, including back surgery in 2016 to put rods metal rods into her spine to keep it from collapsing. In 2017, surgeons deemed her spine secure and they were able to remove all the hardware
'The paramedic came over and said I was lucky to be alive because most people don't survive crashes like that. I kept telling them I was in the worst pain of my life repeatedly.
'The next memory I have is of being in the hospital with nurses around me, taking me for tests and telling me they had to put an indwelling catheter in.'
She added: 'But I didn't feel anything though they told me it would be really uncomfortable.
'I remember thinking it must have been the medication to numb the pain, but it wasn't until later that I found out that I actually had no sensation from the waist down.'
The shards of bone also caused holes in Mrs Rollins' colon, small intestine and bowel and internal bleeding, requiring emergency surgery to repair her organs and stop the bleeding.
Mrs Rollins said: 'At one point, someone came into my room and said they had to do emergency surgery, but they didn't know what to do first.
Mrs Rollins began physiotherapy on December 6 and by December 18 she was able to walk with a walker and a harness for support. Pictured with friends after weeks of physiotherapy
