Woman's life changed forever after she dived into pool at party and woke up quadriplegic

A woman's life changed completely when she dived into a swimming pool and woke up quadriplegic.

Dana Barrett, 31, from Long Island, New York, dived into a pool during a garden party, but broke her neck after hitting her head on the bottom.

After being rushed to hospital, Dana discovered she had been left quadriplegic - a form of paralysis that affects all four limbs.

"I remember diving into the pool and hearing my neck crack, then nothing," she says.

"I woke up briefly to my boyfriend giving me mouth to mouth, then I didn't wake up again until I was intubated in hospital two days later.

"I thought I was having a nightmare at first, like I couldn't move because I was being held down - and then I was told what had happened.

"I dived into that pool millions of times before, it's just something you never think will happen to you."

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Dana was once sporty and active - and decided to dive into the pool after her victory winning a game of golf.

"The pool was shallow at one end and deep at the other, I went to run and dive into the deep part but didn't run far enough," she says.

"I floated back up to the surface and I couldn't move - but could hear people around me. My friend thought I was joking - I could hear her saying 'Dana, stop messing around now'."

After two months in hospital, Dana was then moved to rehab for a further two months at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Centre, where she learnt to speak, eat and drink normally and move her head up and down and side to side.

She then transferred to a local nursing home, Medford Multicare, before catching pneumonia and being forced to return to hospital for a month for further treatments.

She was being visited every day by her family and boyfriend Seamus - then covid hit which put an end to any visits.

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But a few months later, in July of 2020, Dana was moved to a non-profit group home for people with trauma injuries - where she had a lot more freedom.

Dana uses a trache tube and diaphragmatic pacer, which stimulates diaphragmatic contractions to force her body to breathe.

She is now able to live in her own cottage on the property, which means she has her own place but still receives support.

"People don't realise the lack of independence that comes with being quadriplegic," she explains.

"I run on a battery now, so if something goes wrong, I can't breathe, move or talk. That's always at the back of my mind, but I try to focus how lucky I am that I still have so much.

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"I can still eat and drink and talk, I have my home and my family and friends. I even got to meet my newborn nephew.

"But I want to remind people how dangerous diving can be - so make sure you are aware of your surroundings.

"I dived in that pool millions of times before - but it's so easy to misjudge."