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An 18-year-old Alexander County woman who was paralyzed after being thrown from her horse this summer during a national rodeo competition in Oklahoma returned home Thursday evening.
She and other family members say she is regaining some of the movement in her body and hopes to be able to ride again.
Kelly Blanton, of Taylorsville, arrived home about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, she said in a message on a Facebook page dedicated to her effort to recover.
"We had a good trip, but I am glad to be home," she said.
Blanton was practicing for the International Finals Youth Rodeo on July 11 in Shawnee, Okla., when she was thrown from her horse Macy. She landed on her head and was hospitalized initially in Oklahoma.
Blanton was transferred later in July to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. That facility is considered among the most advanced in the world for treating spinal injuries.
According to friends and family members, Blanton has been undergoing daily exercise and treatments at the center and has regained the limited ability to move her legs. Her mother Geri has reported that her daughter can move all 10 fingers, has been able to move her legs on an exercise bicycle, and can wiggle her toes.
"Thank you for all the prayers," Blanton wrote to her supporters after returning home Thursday. "Please continue to pray for me. I will still have to go do some physical therapy."
