Conversations with Daniela Tapia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Tapia.

Hi Daniela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was in my senior year of my undergrad degree(Rockhurst University) when my accident happened. I was with some friends and we were coming home to my friends house from a night out at a bar in Westport. We went through an alley that led to the back of her house so we could get inside through the back door. As we were getting out of the truck there was a sketchy car driving really slow towards us when they started shooting at our direction and I got hit by one of the bullets. The bullet hit my abdomen and exited through my back hitting my spinal cord but when it was inside it exploded inside into tiny pieces rupturing my left iliac vein. When I got shot I remember looking down and seeing all the blood and immediately passing out until I woke up in the ICU with a breathing tube down my throat and paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors then told me I had an incomplete spinal cord injury level L4-S1 and was never going to walk again… but that only motivated me to prove them wrong and that’s when my story really began.

After I was discharged from the hospital I went to KU’s inpatient rehabilitation where I stayed for three weeks or so to learn how to walk again and live with a new disability as a spinal cord wheelchair user. I really pushed myself during my physical therapy sessions to see if I could gain some mobility, sensation, and strength in my legs and feet. As time passed I started to gain a little mobility and sensation in my legs and next thing I know I started to walk a bit. I had to wear special braces called AFO’s on my feet because I couldn’t move them and needed support for my “foot drop”. Everyone there played a huge role in my recovery and they took very good care of me and my family. After inpatient rehab, I went to AbilityKC to continue my rehab but as an outpatient. At AbilityKC I went from being in a wheelchair to a walker to quarter arm crutches. I had the best PT and OT and they pushed me so I could reach my goals. I was able to get more mobility and strength back in my legs and started walking more and more. I did the exoskeleton and aquatic therapy which I loved! As I was hitting a stride I started dealing with really bad nerve pain. I was on and off with my rehab because of the pain and I was planning on taking driving lessons so I could drive and finish school but my pain got so bad that for 4.5 years I was living with 24/7 excruciating burning pain where I couldn’t do anything.

After many trial and errors, and surgeries I have less pain where it’s livable and can actually start living my life again. I started taking driving lessons and will soon be back on the road. I joined an amazing adaptive program for people with disabilities can exercise and build a community where you can strive as an individual.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth ride at all. I had a lot of bumps on the road that really derailed my lifestyle physically and mentally. I think one of my biggest challenges was dealing with chronic nerve pain. It really affected me physically and mentally. I couldn’t eat because the pain was so bad I lost a lot of weight. I couldn’t hangout with friends/family, I couldn’t go to my physical/occupational therapy sessions, I couldn’t do my driving lessons, I couldn’t go back to school, I couldn’t shower or do my basic everyday needs. When my nerve pain would flare up I would cry and cry really loud until it would start to die down a bit. This not only affected me but my family as well because they would have to hear me scream and cry every night and they couldn’t do anything to help me. I basically couldn’t live and I got so depressed that I didn’t want to live, I spent most of my days in bed or the ER. I was there so many times that it became my second home. All the nurses and doctors knew me because I was there all the time. My pain was so bad it felt like an excruciating burning sensation 24/7. I saw a pain doctor and we first tried oral pain meds but that didn’t work, we tried spinal injections but that didn’t work, we tried a pain pump and that helped numb my leg but didn’t touch the pain, we tried a spinal cord stimulator but that didn’t work. Nothing worked and nothing would touch the pain except when I would go to the ER and would get a shot of pain meds but that only helped a little bit. There were times where the doctors didn’t believe my pain was real and they thought I was drug seeking and an addict… I would be so embarrassed and ashamed that I felt it was never going to change and I would have to live like this for the rest of my life. It wasn’t until multiple of second and third opinions until one doctor at St. Luke’s recommended a neurosurgeon over at KU. When I went to my appointment with the neurosurgeon(Dr. Michael Kinsman) and I met him he was the only doctor that said yes to me and told me he would help me. After a week he called me back and told me about a procedure that could give me some relief but some of the risks were paralyzing me even more and losing the mobility and strength I gained but I was willing to risk it if it meant living a life pain free. The procedure he did is called a rhizotomy and they basically opened me from my back and they cauterize the nerves that are sending the pain signals to the brain. He first did the procedure on the left leg and then he did it on the right side and man was it a long and painful recovery but in the end it was worth it. It wasn’t for my family/support system and my faith I don’t think I would be here today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As of right now I don’t work and haven’t worked since my accident but before that I was a bank teller at Security Bank of Kansas City. My senior year of college I was an intern for Representative Sharice David’s up until my accident happened. I’m most proud of getting an internship and working for a state representative. I think what sets me apart from other is my experience and my connections, and it doesn’t hurt to speak two languages.

Any big plans?
My plans for the future is to start driving again and getting back my independence. Join an adaptive sport and maybe even become a para Olympian. Continue to participate and train at Iron Adaptive and bring in new athletes. Be an advocate for people who deal with chronic pain and those who lost their live due to gun violence. I also would love to travel and see the world now that I can get out of my room. I also want to start posting more on my social media and share my journey with others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_Danielatapiaa
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/mNHBGfGxwXY