KDKA reporter’s daughter recovering after trampoline accident
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Pam Surano, a KDKA TV news reporter, was attending Mass at a church in Pittsburgh’s Hill District when she noticed calls from her daughter lighting up her phone.
She ignored the first couple calls, making a mental note to call her back when she was done praying.
When the third call came in, she decided to take it.
“She told me, ‘mommy I had an accident – I can’t move my legs,’ “ Surano said.
Surano, 50, raced to her Seven Fields home, where she learned her 13-year-old daughter, Mary Maloney, had been jumping on her trampoline in the backyard. Maloney has an interest in gymnastics. That day, she had been doing flips – alone.
“To be honest, she was probably doing everything parents warn their kids not to do alone,” Surano said. She said the trampoline’s safety net kept her from falling on the ground, but that Maloney had landed on her head and neck while flipping.
Later that day, Surano and her former husband rushed their daughter to UPMC Passavant because she couldn’t move the lower half of her body, wiggle her toes or feel anything. When they arrived at the hospital, Maloney was throwing up.
“They put her in a wheelchair and she fell forward – she had no control of her body,” Surano said.
That’s when doctors recommended transferring Maloney to UPMC Children’s – where the family found out Maloney most likely suffered from a spinal stroke, a rare condition caused by a lack of blood supply to the spinal cord.
Maloney still does not have mobility from the middle of her chest to her toes. But Surano said prayer has helped with the recovery so far.
“I can honestly tell you the prayers are felt and divinely manifesting,” Surano said.
In the last two days, Maloney has begun to feel touches to her legs and feet – a welcome sign of improvement, Surano said.
“Any sign is a good sign,” she said.
In the first week, emotions have been a roller coaster for Maloney and her mom. But Surano said the two shared some laughs over the Labor Day weekend and their spirits continue to rise.
Andrew Wass is Surano’s brother and Maloney’s godfather. When Wass, 32, of Basking Ridge, N.J., learned about the accident he felt devastated and scrambled to do something – anything – to show love and support.
“All of this made it hard to think about what to do as a godfather,” he said. But then, after talking to a cousin, he had the idea to launch a GoFundMe page to raise $100,000 to be used to pay for medical bills and other expenses.
Four days in and the family is nearly halfway there. The fundraiser so far has raised $43,660 from almost 700 donors.
Surano said she didn’t know about the GoFundMe until after Wass created it. She said the fundraiser made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. But the experience has been humbling, she said, and she’s grateful.
“I feel like I’m ready to face this with her,” Surano said.