A young 13-year-old Quebec skier suffered a tragic accident during a training camp at the Swiss resort of Saas-Fee on August 31.
Originally from Chelsea in Outaouais, Lily Kunstadt was the victim of an accident while going up the slope on a double ski lift. “A malfunctioning T-bar, coming down the mountain, wrapped itself around Lily and her own T-bar, throwing her into the air. She had a catastrophic fall, breaking her back in two places, her ribs, and suffering a second-degree burn to her face,” is written in a summary of the events published on the GoFundMe platform.
Lily Kunstadt’s coaches, including skier Erik Guay, were “the first on the scene to protect passers-by at the scene”, we can read.
The young athlete playing for the Mont Tremblant Ski Club was evacuated by plane to a hospital in Lausanne after the tragedy. She had surgery there. She had four fractured vertebrae. The young girl remains paralyzed below the navel for the moment.
Returning to the country last week, Lily Kunstadt is hospitalized in an Ottawa hospital and will soon be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Toronto “where she will learn to live her new life in a wheelchair.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE FAMILY
Lily Kundstad (in orange) and her family
Described as a young girl with a “radiant smile” with an “incredible work ethic” and a “sweet and warm temperament”, Lily Kunstadt participated last year in a major international ski race in the U-14 category in Sweden where she had finished second in slalom and giant slalom. “She was on track to continue to dominate alpine skiing for Canada,” it is written. In October, she will be inducted into the Chelsea Hall of Fame as a Rising Star.
“The best possible life”
Besides skiing, Lily Kunstadt is also an athlete in field hockey, soccer and sprint kayaking. On the GoFundMe platform, it is emphasized that the road to recovery for Lily Kunstadt will be long. Already, more than $350,000 has been raised. The funds will enable her parents, who also have two young sons, to adapt their home and support their daughter. They also plan to involve Lily “in research and clinical trials for young people with spinal cord injuries” in Australia, Sweden, Norway or the United States.
“The hope is to offer Lily the best life possible, with the best therapy to maximize her chances of regaining independent mobility,” it is written.
An investigation is underway in the canton of Valais in Switzerland to shed light on the tragedy. In an email, the Saas-Fee ski resort confirms that an accident took place on August 31 “shortly after 9 a.m.”. “Since the investigation is not complete, we are unable to provide you with further information at this time,” the station said.