Apr. 5—JAMESTOWN — Addison Marker's whole world changed last summer.
The Jamestown High School senior was behind the wheel when she, her sister, Claire, and her cousin, Megan Wieland, got into a car accident in Horace, North Dakota. According to a press release from the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the other driver was charged with driving under the influence and DUI refusal.
After the accident, Marker was in the hospital in Fargo for a week. The senior suffered unstable vertebral fractures, resulting in a spinal fusion from the T12 to L4 vertebrae. In addition to scrapes and cuts all over her body, she also had a bruised colon, lung contusion and a calcaneal fracture that needed open reduction internal fixation with three screws in her heel.
While her body was bound to the hospital bed, her thoughts were free to wander.
"I started thinking about my sports season while still in the hospital," Marker said. "I had made the assumption that I wouldn't be able to play volleyball, but I kept my hopes up. Most of the summer, I was thinking about my sports seasons and what they were going to look like.
"I love to compete with my friends and didn't want to miss out on any more of my life, especially my senior year," she said. "It was a tough pill to swallow at times but I stayed as positive as I could."
Marker was able to start physical therapy when still in her boot and back brace.
"My mom is a PT so as soon as I got home I was doing things," Marker said. "She would have me squeeze my calf that was in the boot and work on really gentle abdominal exercises so I wouldn't completely lose my muscles as I was so restricted in my activity.
"I would get on my kneeling scooter or walker and make laps around my house, or sometimes take the scooter out on the walking path to get some hip work and cardio while laying around all day," she said. "At the time, I really hated all of that but looking back I can see that it was beneficial."
After three full months in the boot, Marker's foot stiffened up and she lost nearly all her mobility.
"I would sit down with my mom and she would periodically move my ankle around to slowly regain its movement. I would continually work on movements on my own as well," Marker said. "My ankle is certainly not the same as before, but I did get most of the mobility back.
"On that same foot, I lost tons of muscle mass in the calf, making its agility difficult," she said. "Before I could fully step on my foot, I would walk in a special anti-gravity treadmill to start to normalize motion for my whole body in PT. I still work on calf raises weekly to get that leg equal to the other."
Marker was in a back brace for three months, not able to bend over or sit up at a certain degree.
"Cody Champagne worked with me from August through December," Marker said. "It started out really easy just learning movements and stretching and eventually learning to jump, run, cut and heavy lift. We worked together to get me ready for sport and life in general as best as able."
At the beginning of her physical therapy journey, Marker would walk on an anti-gravity treadmill, allowing her to walk and move normally before she could fully step on her foot.
"I eventually graduated from PT in early January and am now working with a personal trainer," Marker said. "Matt Odin has been lifting with me and helping me formulate workouts two to three times per week since I graduated from Cody. I really enjoying exercising and lifting and am happy be back in the gym."
Marker was on the Jamestown High School volleyball roster and entered one match on Oct. 15. During the winter, she split time ...
