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Bride Paralyzed In Freak Accident During Hawaii Honeymoon

(CBS Local) -- A Texas bride's dream honeymoon turned into a nightmare after a freak accident left her paralyzed.

Will and Nikki Lewis were married September 8 in a destination wedding on the Hawaiian Island of Maui.

They "love each other so much," said friend Tyacha Pillot. "It's almost like a fairy tale."

But just four days later, on September 12, the newlyweds and a few friends went to play in the water at Big Beach on Maui. Nikki was boogie boarding in the water when a large wave sent her headfirst into the sand and broke her neck.

"I knew instantly that something was wrong because I couldn't move," Lewis told Hawaii News Now. "I remember telling myself, oh my god this is it."

"For a while she was just unconscious and we all thought she was dead," said Pillot.

After she was treated at two Maui hospitals, doctors flew Lewis to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where she is said to be making an amazing amount of progress.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover medical bills and transport back to Texas.

"Nikki is a mom to two beautiful children and a new stepmom to one. Her fairy tale wedding trip has turned into a horrible nightmare for herself, her new husband, their children and families," her GoFundMe page says. "The medical bills are growing each day and will be unimaginably extensive very quickly."

 

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