A Montreal woman who lost both legs when she was hit by a train in December says she’s facing a long road to recovery, but determined to live a full life.
Sarah Jo Stott, 22, was crossing the train tracks in the early morning hours of Dec. 8, 2014 when she was struck by a freight train. She was walking home and had just passed a parked train on the tracks, believing it was safe to cross.
Both of her legs were severed and she remained on the ground in the bitter cold for about three hours before someone saw her and called for help.
Stott has since had more than a dozen surgeries. Doctors were forced to amputate both of her legs – one above the hip and the other one below the knee. She also lost her fingers to frostbite.
Nearly two months later, Stott is still heavily medicated and she suffers from memory loss. But she says she’s determined to live a normal life again.
“I want to have a good future. I want to go back to school. I want to have a house,” she told CTV Montreal from her hospital bed.
“I want to have kids. I have this whole future in my head planned out. I think I’m going to be a lot better person after this.”
Employees at the Irish Embassy Pub, where Stott worked, are organizing a fundraiser to help cover her medical bills and other expenses.
A GoFundme.com campaign has already raised more than $62,000 for Stott.
Stott said she is grateful for all the support from friends, family and strangers.
“It's just overwhelming,” she said. “And when this is all over, it's (obvious) I have some reason to be here. There's some reason I'm alive. I would have died if I was supposed to.”
Stott is now looking forward to becoming more independent and eventually leaving the hospital.
“Rehab is going to be a lot of work, but I can do it,” she said.
