A talented, young gymnast has been told that she may never walk again after enduring a bad fall during a practice session.
On Friday, 15-year-old Jacoby Miles was practicing a dismount she's landed "countless times" before at Roach Gymnastics in Sumner, Wash., when she lost control and landed on her neck, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
According to ABC News, the young girl "lost all feeling from her chest down instantly." It was later discovered that while Jacoby's spinal cord was not severed, it had been completely "pinched off." As her family wrote on their website, the teen is now paralyzed from the mid-chest down.
"I think this is one of the worst nightmares for a parent," Jacoby's mom, Gretchen, said.
Since her fall, the teenager -- an experienced level 9 gymnast -- has been in Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. She's undergone surgery, and doctors are now assessing the extent of the damage. KOMO 4 News reports that Jacoby is able to move her shoulders and has "some feeling in her arms."
However, doctors say that while the teen may regain movement in her wrists, it is unlikely she will ever walk again.
"She can't move and she has to deal with this at the age of 15," the teen's mother told ABC News.
Still, Jacoby's parents say they are grateful that their daughter's injuries are not any worse.
"The true blessing, I mean -- there's no head injury or vital organ injury. She's able to breathe on her own, and that's amazing and wonderful in and of itself," the girl's father, Jason, told KIRO Radio.
The family also says they are still hopeful that Jacoby -- a determined gymnast full of energy and strength -- will be able to achieve a miracle.
"I personally think that's what is going to help her beat this, is that same drive," Jason old KOMO 4.
"We have to prepare mentally for the worst and pray for the best. I know God has big plans for her," he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Though it has been a challenging time for the Miles family, they say that the weight of the tragedy has been alleviated by the outpouring of support they have received from friends and strangers alike.
"It's been so helpful, all the encouraging words and people reaching out to pass that on to her. We're trying to give her that strength," Jason told KIRO radio. "That's a big part of what's getting us through."
For more information about Jacoby and how to help, go to the family's blog Get Well Jacoby or their Facebook page.