Hair stylist who lost leg in crash needs help to pay medical bills, prosthetic leg
DURHAM (WTVD) -- A Triangle community is rallying around a local hair stylist who lost her leg in a motorcycle crash. The young woman is having trouble paying her medical bills and finding enough money to pay for a prosthetic leg.
Christa Speight always dreamed of being a successful hairstylist and wife.
That vision was nearly cut short last September when she was involved in a horrific motorcycle crash on N.C. Highway 98 and Sherron Road in Durham.
"There was a lot of traffic," explained Speight who was riding with her boyfriend on his motorcycle at the time. "[The driver] was trying to turn in and didn't see us. I woke up four or five days later."
After a week in a medically induced coma, six surgeries and a month-long hospital stay, Speight would survive. Her fiance would too. But, she would face a difficult decision to either keep her mangled left leg or allow the surgeon to amputate it.
"I was just happy to be alive," said Speight. "It clicked. I automatically knew what I would do."
Speight, 22, will need multiple prosthetic legs over the course of her life. The medical devices are only built to last a few years and can costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Speight's coworkers at Posh Salon in downtown Durham reached out to their clients for help and they answered. They are teaming up with other local downtown businesses to help raise money and to keep Speight encouraged.
"The name of the event is Journey of Courage," said Ashley Gorman with POSH Salon. "There's been a major loss, but she's been so courageous and we've been blown away by her perspective and a lot of that has come from the team rallying behind her and the community."
A silent auction is planned for Feb. 22 at the West End Wine Bar. click here fore more details.
There's also an online fundraising effort to raise $250,000. The website has received more than $7,000 in donations.
Speight is overwhelmed by the show of support from businesses and individual donations for the upcoming silent auction.
"I am so blessed and grateful for them," said Speight, adding that the loss of her leg won't defer her dreams.
Speight's boyfriend, a Durham firefighter, is also on the mend. He is now her fiance after proposing during her lengthy hospital stay.
