In March 2015, Ashley Ruelland was driving to a bachelorette party in Mont Tremblant when another car crossed the centre line and hit her head on.
The 27-year-old was left with a long injury list of broken and crushed bones, including a fractured femur with an open wound and fractures in her lower spine. It took more than an hour for first responders to extricate Ashley from the car.
Prior to her accident, Ashley had never really been sick and injured before. She had no idea where the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital was located. Yet, its Trauma Centre, where Ashley was treated for her extensive and life-threatening injuries, played a critical role in her survival.
She remained in an induced coma in the ICU for two months. She endured numerous reconstructive surgeries, 100 hours of orthopaedic and internal surgery, and more than 100 blood transfusions.
Once she was finally out of the woods, Ashley faced a long road ahead of her through months of intensive rehab.
“I was scared to think of the life that was waiting for me outside those hospital walls,” said Ashley, who needed to learn how to feed herself, walk, and brush her own teeth again.
Ashley was eventually transferred to being an out-patient at the Rehabilitation Centre and, through hard work and persistence, succeeded in being able to walk, travel, and live independently again.
