DECEMBER 1999 BACK ISSUE

Part of Horse Previews Magazine website. Posted on 12/03/99; 2:00:00PM.

Help Make a Miracle for Stephanie Martin

The Inland Northwest Dressage Association has issued a challenge to the horse community to band together and raise $20,000 and help make a miracle happen for 18 year old Stephanie Martin.

Last summer, this Sandpoint High graduate was described as "full of life" as she went off to go horseback riding on Blacktail Mountain, east of Cocolalla, Idaho with some friends. Stephanie told her Mom "I love you" while skipping down the stairs and out the front door.

Later in the day, while resting on her horse in a meadow, she bent down to pick a flower, and when she tried to remount the horse suddenly bolted. She was still struggling to mount as the horse disappeared around a bend.

When her friends caught up to her, Stephanie was found unconcious on the ground. She had suffered severe head injury and brain damage. She was airlifted to the Kootenai Medical Center and underwent brain surgery. Stephanie's prognosis was she would not survive the night. But she did survive and is making definite progress.

She has been undergoing physical and occupational therapy at St. Luke's Hospital, but for any sort of normalcy to be restored to Stephanie's life, she needs hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This therapy involves using a hyperbaric chamber to saturate the brain with oxygen. This increases the blood circulation in order to stimulate idling neurons in the brain. In order to undergo this therapy, Stephanie's family will have to travel to California or Florida, but they do not have the $20,000 that the therapy costs.

This is where the Inland Northwest Dressage Association's challenge comes in. They have donated $100 to the fund which was established to help send Stephanie to receive the hyperbaric therapy. The INDA has challenged all other horse organizations, clubs, breeders, farms and retail outlets to do the same.

This is a young girl with a bright future and with your help, she can obtain this therapy. Last summer, Stephanie was working at a part-time job and saving to travel to Europe this spring. She was also working at Cocolalla Bible Camp as a camp counselor. Today, she is a young woman who must rely upon the generosity of her community to help send her to receive this therapy.

Your contributions can be made to the contact the Panhandle State Bank, 231 North 3rd, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864.