Baltimore Firefighter Fights To Walk Again After Off-Duty Accident
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore city firefighter is working to walk again after an off-duty accident.
Shane Horne has been a firefighter in the city for eight years. The 30-year-old fell off his roof while putting up Christmas lights.
Not only did this happen before Christmas, but just days before he and his wife were supposed to go on their honeymoon. He's now paralyzed from the waist down.
"Never in a million years that this would happen to me," Horne said.
From saving lives to now wondering if he'll ever walk again, Horne finds himself battling more than just fires.
"It's frustrating, I feel helpless sometimes, kind of depressed, why couldn't I just break my legs or broken my arm, why did it have to be my back?" Horne said.
It was after Thanksgiving when he was up on his roof hanging Christmas lights when the accident occurred.
"As I was coming back down, the legs of the ladder kicked out and I fell with the ladder, approximately 12 feet I guess," Horne said.
Horne was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, left with a fractured back, and barely any feeling from the waist down.
"I have a fairly dangerous job and something I do at work almost on a daily basis, caused me to become paralyzed at home," Horne said.
A transfer to MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital has now started an intensive rehab process with an all-star team of doctors and therapists.
"Right now he is in what we call spinal shock, where it takes some time where we'll be able to fully assess his prognosis level of how serious his spinal cord injury will be," said Dr. Kritis Dasgupta, with MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital.
While some would feel defeated, not this blue-collar man from Philly. The veteran firefighter is dominating rehab.
"Even in the last few days my balance has improved drastically," Horne said.
He said he has a clear vision of what his goal- to get back on the roof and enjoy a honeymoon to Barbados with the love of his life.
He said the support from across the state is fueling him every day.
"It means a lot, you know, try not to get emotional, it means a lot that people care so much about people they don't know," Horne said. "One year from now I want to be walking again, I will be walking, if it kills me, I'll walk,"
Doctors said they do believe Shane will walk again. For those who wish to help Shane Horne, a GoFundMe page has now been started, already raising more than $12,000.
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