Plainview woman paralyzed in skiing accident goes on to paint, model and share her story
Premed student Rebecca Koltun was months from receiving a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and already had interviews lined up with medical schools.
Then the Plainview native's world came to an abrupt halt.
In March 2021, Koltun sustained a catastrophic injury while skiing at Stratton Mountain in Vermont that left her with severe spinal cord injuries and paralyzed from the neck down.
Family members and aides now care for her round-the-clock, from feeding to bathing, for Koltun, 23, an athlete who loved playing soccer.
"Finding out that I was essentially unable to move anything in my body was heartbreaking," Koltun said. "I thought I was the saddest person in the world. I thought my life was over. It was extremely difficult to grasp the concept.
"It was larger than life essentially. So my life has drastically changed because I have virtually no independence. I am washed and dressed by someone else. I can't even itch my own face."
But after nine months of intensive rehab — and some admittedly dark days — Koltun says she has learned to live with her disability rather than be defined by her condition.
Koltun has learned to paint using only her mouth and began selling her artwork on Etsy. She has modeled for a group that designs clothing for people with a variety of disabilities, and edits patient education videos for a physician. She also graduated from Binghamton.
In an effort to share her story and help others in her condition, Koltun frequently discusses her physical and mental health tribulations on podcasts. And she has become something of a social media star, creating popular content — albeit with a tinge of self-deprecating, dark humor — on TikTok, where her account, titled "notparalyzedjustlazy," has nearly 60,000 followers.
"What this has shown me is that there is life after loss, even something as devastating as my situation," Koltun said. "I try to do things like paint and hang out with my friends and watch the movies and go out to lunch and go out to dinner. And just focus on the things that I can do rather than the things that I have lost. Because if I thought about that I would never get out of a downward spiral.
"I'm just grateful for the little things I still do have and for all the people that care about me so much," she added.
The reality of Koltun's injuries are not only daunting physically and emotionally but financially as well.
She needs specially trained nursing staff, physical, occupational and respiratory therapies, along with a custom wheelchair, adapted van, electronic hospital bed and Hoyer lift, plus a bevy of medical supplies that require ongoing maintenance and replenishment.
Friends and family said the cost of her care exceeded $1 million in the year after her injury and likely will average between $200,000 and $300,000 a year for the rest of her life. The family relies on health insurance to cover some of her care, but much of the balance comes from fundraising.
On Saturday morning, more than 700 friends, family and others gathered at Plainview Old Bethpage Middle School for the second annual "Rally for Rebecca 5K" race and fun run. That was about 50 more people than last year, said Wendy Mensch, a family friend who has known Koltun all her life and who helped organize the run.
The event, held on a sunny day perfect for being outside, raised about $70,000, she added, far more than the $50,000 last year. All of the proceeds for the event will go to Help Hope Live, a nonprofit that will distribute the proceeds to Koltun's family. To date, the group has raised more than $320,000 for Koltun's care and recovery.
"Walking for Rebecca really brought every individual there a good feeling," said Judith Brenner, a close family friend who helps organize the event. "The money is part of it. But it's also the intangibles of being able to do something to help … And to see a young woman who is really thriving and really living the best life that she can. I think that was so gratifying to everyone."
Koltun herself traveled the course in her wheelchair, which had white angel wings affixed to the back and a bunch of blue and gold balloons bobbing above her. She greeted and thanked the many people who came out to help her.
Koltun's mother and father said they were thankful for the outpouring of support.
"It's overwhelming and wonderful and exciting," said her mother, Audrey Koltun. "It's wonderful to have the family support, the community support, the international support. It would be very hard to get through each day without this."
On March 13, 2021, Koltun was skiing with some college friends and her brother in Vermont. To this day, she does not recall the fall but was found unconscious in the woods on the mountain and had to be airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire.
The damage to her spinal cord was so severe that Koltun was attached to a ventilator, unable to breathe on her own. She had immediate surgery and spent 2½ weeks in the intensive care unit before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Boston, where she would spend another 4½ months, finally getting off the ventilator and learning to drive a wheelchair by breathing into a straw.
Koltun spent another four months at Glen Cove Hospital before being discharged to an assisted living facility, where she and her parents lived while their Plainview home was being renovated.
"I try to find meaning in life and do things I enjoy and spend time with people that I care about to make the most of it," Koltun said. "Because I did almost die. And there's a reason I'm still here."
With Craig Schneider
Premed student Rebecca Koltun was months from receiving a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and already had interviews lined up with medical schools.
Then the Plainview native's world came to an abrupt halt.
In March 2021, Koltun sustained a catastrophic injury while skiing at Stratton Mountain in Vermont that left her with severe spinal cord injuries and paralyzed from the neck down.
Family members and aides now care for her round-the-clock, from feeding to bathing, for Koltun, 23, an athlete who loved playing soccer.
Rebecca Koltun in her Plainview home on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
"Finding out that I was essentially unable to move anything in my body was heartbreaking," Koltun said. "I thought I was the saddest person in the world. I thought my life was over. It was extremely difficult to grasp the concept.
"It was larger than life essentially. So my life has drastically changed because I have virtually no independence. I am washed and dressed by someone else. I can't even itch my own face."
But after nine months of intensive rehab — and some admittedly dark days — Koltun says she has learned to live with her disability rather than be defined by her condition.
Koltun has learned to paint using only her mouth and began selling her artwork on Etsy. She has modeled for a group that designs clothing for people with a variety of disabilities, and edits patient education videos for a physician. She also graduated from Binghamton.
In an effort to share her story and help others in her condition, Koltun frequently discusses her physical and mental health tribulations on podcasts. And she has become something of a social media star, creating popular content — albeit with a tinge of self-deprecating, dark humor — on TikTok, where her account, titled "notparalyzedjustlazy," has nearly 60,000 followers.
"What this has shown me is that there is life after loss, even something as devastating as my situation," Koltun said. "I try to do things like paint and hang out with my friends and watch the movies and go out to lunch and go out to dinner. And just focus on the things that I can do rather than the things that I have lost. Because if I thought about that I would never get out of a downward spiral.
"I'm just grateful for the little things I still do have and for all the people that care about me so much," she added.
The reality of Koltun's injuries are not only daunting physically and emotionally but financially as well.
She needs specially trained nursing staff, physical, occupational and respiratory therapies, along with a custom wheelchair, adapted van, electronic hospital bed and Hoyer lift, plus a bevy of medical supplies that require ongoing maintenance and replenishment.
Friends and family said the cost of her care exceeded $1 million in the year after her injury and likely will average between $200,000 and $300,000 a year for the rest of her life. The family relies on health insurance to cover some of her care, but much of the balance comes from fundraising.
On Saturday morning, more than 700 friends, family and others gathered at Plainview Old Bethpage Middle School for the second annual "Rally for Rebecca 5K" race and fun run. That was about 50 more people than last year, said Wendy Mensch, a family friend who has known Koltun all her life and who helped organize the run.
The event, held on a sunny day perfect for being outside, raised about $70,000, she added, far more than the $50,000 last year. All of the proceeds for the event will go to Help Hope Live, a nonprofit that will distribute the proceeds to Koltun's family. To date, the group has raised more than $320,000 for Koltun's care and recovery.
"Walking for Rebecca really brought every individual there a good feeling," said Judith Brenner, a close family friend who helps organize the event. "The money is part of it. But it's also the intangibles of being able to do something to help … And to see a young woman who is really thriving and really living the best life that she can. I think that was so gratifying to everyone."
Koltun herself traveled the course in her wheelchair, which had white angel wings affixed to the back and a bunch of blue and gold balloons bobbing above her. She greeted and thanked the many people who came out to help her.
Koltun's mother and father said they were thankful for the outpouring of support.
"It's overwhelming and wonderful and exciting," said her mother, Audrey Koltun. "It's wonderful to have the family support, the community support, the international support. It would be very hard to get through each day without this."
On March 13, 2021, Koltun was skiing with some college friends and her brother in Vermont. To this day, she does not recall the fall but was found unconscious in the woods on the mountain and had to be airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire.
The damage to her spinal cord was so severe that Koltun was attached to a ventilator, unable to breathe on her own. She had immediate surgery and spent 2½ weeks in the intensive care unit before being transferred to a rehabilitation hospital in Boston, where she would spend another 4½ months, finally getting off the ventilator and learning to drive a wheelchair by breathing into a straw.
Koltun spent another four months at Glen Cove Hospital before being discharged to an assisted living facility, where she and her parents lived while their Plainview home was being renovated.
"I try to find meaning in life and do things I enjoy and spend time with people that I care about to make the most of it," Koltun said. "Because I did almost die. And there's a reason I'm still here."
With Craig Schneider
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
