By JONATHAN WARREN
On Dec. 29, senior Dounia Bendris’s life changed in an instant.
While practicing gymnastics at Broadway Gymnastics in Oviedo, Bendris slipped off the uneven bars.
From the fall, she collapsed a lung, broke two ribs and severed her spinal cord.
She has been in the hospital since the accident working on physical therapy. Doctors say she may never walk again.
While she may have lost her ability to walk, Bendris has not lost her enduring strength, attitude or will power.
“My attitude is all positive. If you’re sulking and negative, then you can’t work as hard. It hasn’t been too bad emotionally because I put a lot of my thought into my therapy and not into the future,” Bendris said.
Bendris also receives support from her friends who describe her as someone who is fun to be around and brightens others’ days. Bendris is a member of Math Club, National Honor Society and is treasurer of Environmental Club.
“I really admire her; she is really strong. I know she can do anything
she sets her mind to,” senior Kathleen Chitty said.
Chitty created a Facebook group for Bendris asking for prayers and support that now has over 880 friends. The group is entitled “Pray for Our Beloved Curly-Red Head, Dounia!!”
“I wanted people to be informed about her situation and for accurate information to get out. There are a lot of people that care a lot about her who may not have known, since it happened over the winter break,” Chitty said.
During Bendris’s stay in the hospital, there were numerous pictures of friends on her walls. There were also gifts including a Stuff doll from the Orlando Magic Dancers who visited her. Bendris has had an ongoing relationship with the Orlando Magic franchise since the injury. She attended a game on Feb. 5 and met star center Dwight Howard.
“It’s what gets me through the day,” Bendris said of everyone’s support.
Bendris’s 31 days in the hospital consisted of therapy, school work and visits from friends and family. She attended three different types of therapy: occupational where she relearned how to perform daily activities, physical where she worked on leg movement and balancing and recreational which consisted of fun activities to help the healing process.
Bendris recently went to see the movie Avatar as part of her recreational therapy.
Bendris left the hospital on Jan. 28 to return home and has since returned to school. She hopes to graduate with her senior class in June.
Bendris also hopes to attend the University of Florida next year and possibly major in engineering.
Though, in the past month, Bendris’s life has become incredibly complicated, her message to others is simple: “Appreciate what you have because it can all change really quickly”.
Bendris’s story has influenced her friends at school.
“I love her and admire her a lot. She’s a really big inspiration,” Chitty said.
Bendris’s family held a round-robin tennis tournament on Feb. 6 to help with the staggering cost of her treatment. The tournamant raised over $3,000. However, this will provide for only a portion of the family’s expenses.
Bendris’s family has also set up a trust fund and is accepting donations.
Check donations can be mailed to: CHASE c/o Dounia Alyssa Bendris, 3924 Town Center Blvd., Suite 103-104, Orlando, FL 32837.