claim to fame
daniel lobello
Less than a year ago, LAMP Magnet High School senior Allison
Nguyen lost something she’d been quite attached to. But in dealing
with this loss, she’s gained a new perspective on life. Significant
injuries from a car accident she barely remembers resulted in the
amputation of Allison’s leg. “I fully remember my 11 days at rehab.
It was really an eventful experience because it was the hardest 11
days of my life,” she said.
There are stages of coping that many amputees go through,
and while Allison believes she is no longer in stage one, suffering,
she’s not sure she’s at her emotional journey’s end, full acceptance.
“I am definitely not suffering anymore,” she said. “However, I am
not at the acceptance stage yet. Although I believe I will get there,
currently, I’m taking it one day at a time.”
Sometimes, those days have been long and hard. “I really
thought that not having a leg would be the end of the world. I
failed in the way that I let those thoughts overtake me during
the months of hospitalization, rehab and home health.” But now,
she’s overcome that failure. “Today, I am doing so much better
at thinking positively about the future and believing that it is
possible for me to pursue my dreams ad goals.”
and there’s school too
The 17-year-old has was born in Vietnam and moved to California
then Georgia before her family settled in Montgomery. She
maintains a 3.5 GPA, plays tennis and hopes