Persistence, positivity helping Monticello teenager walk again
MONTICELLO, Ind. (WLFI) – 24-Hour News 8’s sister station, WLFI, first introduced you to Michelle Salomon last summer. She was receiving her high school diploma a few weeks late because of her first back surgery.
Fast forward to March 12, 2017, she’s had two more surgeries and is in her sixth week of physical therapy. Recently, she made a big leap in her recovery.
“Is this seriously happening? Oh my God,” Salomon said as she took her first steps without a walker.
She has not been able to walk on her own since last year.
“It feels really good because I’ve missed that feeling for a long time,” she added. “Not being able to go out, do what I want to do and be on my own.”
Salomon considers it her first steps toward her independence. During her recovery, she has relied heavily on her mother to help her around the house.
“Here she is, a 19-year-old that needs help with things that normal 19-year-olds don’t,” said Michelle’s mother, Melissa Salomon. “That’s got to be tough on her more than me.”
That help takes place at all times, even in the middle of the night.
“I keep reminding her, you haven’t had one surgery within a year, you’ve had three,” added Melissa Salomon. “That makes a big difference because you’re still recovering from all three of them.”
The teen said she would not have made it this far if it wasn’t for her friends and family’s support.
“It’s just really great to have those types of people in your life,” Michelle Salomon explained. “Honestly, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Although the past year of her life has been trying, she will not focus on the negativity.
“It’s always good to be positive through all this, because then your life will go the way you want it to,” said Michelle Salomon.