'Vile ex-boyfriend's three sickening words after horror accident paralysed me'
A student who was paralysed in an accident on holiday claims her bullying ex-boyfriend responded with three cruel words - telling her she was good to date because she "now can't cheat".
Eden Schroeder was on holiday with friends in Naples, Florida in the US in November 2020 when she dived head first into water which turned out to only be three feet deep. The 21-year-old jumped into the ocean off a boat while on a break after her first semester of college but didn't see a hidden sandbank below the surface.
Eden, who was 18 at the time, snapped her neck when she hit the sandbank and floated up to the surface of the water, where her friends pulled her out. She was immediately rushed back to the docks where she said she begged paramedics to 'fix her' before being taken to intensive care via air ambulance.
Since her accident, Eden has regained some movement in her arms and passed her driving test but says "old people judge her" for using disabled spaces as she appears "too young" to require them - until she gets out of the car. The TikToker has re-entered the "crazy" world of dating but says she is compelled to date older people as a lot of 21-year-olds are not ready to date someone in her situation.
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Eden, right, aged 18, was on a boating holiday with friends when she dived into the ocean and didn't see a hidden sandbank - pictured with best friend Enelda Bekurti, left, before the swimming accident (Kennedy News and Media)
Eden hopes that sharing her story will encourage others to be more cautious - but also hopes to still lead a good life after her accident (Kennedy News and Media)Eden said she's already had to suffer thoughtless comments from men, including one man who said he liked dating her as he "knew she won't be able to go out and cheat" as she was partially paralysed. Now working as a peer support volunteer to help newly paralysed people, Eden hopes to warn others to be more cautious.
Eden, from Atlanta, Georgia in the US, said: "The water was super shallow and no one realised. We stopped to swim. I used to be a swimmer in high school and I did it competitively since I was about four.
"I was a confident swimmer so I didn't think anything would be wrong. I dove off the boat head first and went into the sandbar head first. I completely severed my vertebrae, so I was immediately paralysed. I was face down under the water.
"I couldn't move my arms, couldn't move my entire body. It's very strange how comforting it was, but I wasn't scared at all. It was actually one of the most calm times of my life just because I felt very safe. It was warm and felt like everything was going to be okay."
Eden has started swimming again since her accident as well as driving and dating (Kennedy News/Austin Jones)Despite mistakenly feeling 'safe', when Eden was pulled back onto the boat by a close friend they realised something was wrong as she was unable to move. Eden said: "Once I was on the boat floor no one was sure what was going on.
"I was able to speak even though I shouldn't have been because of where I broke my neck. My lungs were partially paralysed at the time. I was still able to talk, so I told everyone I was okay and I was just in shock and just needed to lay down for a second.
"After a couple of minutes they were pulling my arms side to side to see if I could move, and nothing was happening. I couldn't move. The last words I remember saying to the paramedic were 'please fix me'. After that, because of the drugs and stuff I don't remember anything."
After undergoing emergency surgery at Lee Memorial Hospital, Eden was transferred to a rehabilitation centre for those with spinal cord injuries and diseases. While 80% of her body remains paralysed, she has regained some movement in her arms and has now managed to begin dating, driving, and even swimming again.
Eden had emergency surgery at hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation centre (Kennedy News and Media)
Eden says she prefers to date older people because a lot of 21-year-olds aren't ready to date someone in her situation (Kennedy News and Media)Eden said: "The first week I couldn't move my arms or anything. Then I slowly regained that movement, which was nice. I've been dating but it's crazy when paralysed. There's a lot of people at 21 who aren't ready for that, so I've been trying to date a bit older.
"One guy I recently dated said he liked dating me because he knows 'I won't be able to go out and cheat', which was crazy to me. It's been interesting. You find good people too though. Because my level of injury is so high, driving takes a little more adaptations.
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"There's hand controls. So there's one hand control that you push for brake and pull for gas, and then one on the steering wheel that helps you steer. I just recently passed and I'm safe to drive. It's been nice to get some of my independence back and envision what my life will be like.
"It'll be nice to hang out with friends and go to classes without having to ask my support system to take me. It'll be really cool. I get judged by older people for using handicapped spaces though. It happens all the time.
"For some reason, people don't expect someone who is young and looks like they're healthy to be disabled. It's always interesting to throw your chair out like 'Haha, I actually am'."
Eden hopes sharing her story will encourage others to be more cautious, but she believes that you can still lead a good life after trauma, even beginning para-swimming which she hopes to compete in at an international level.
Eden said: "It can happen to anyone at any point in time so it's always good to be cautious. It completely changes the direction of your life. Always be kind to people and empathetic.
"I used to be a swimmer when I was young. I started competitively when I was around four and then I did it all throughout high-school but quit when I went to college. I've picked it back up since the accident. It's hard but having a good life is really possible afterwards."
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