For Monique Johnson, a Mission resident, floating in a body of water is her happy place.
Johnson’s family and friends can guess on any given summer day, particularly a weekend, that she’s at a pool.
That was the case on the afternoon of July 25, when Johnson was at the Merriam Community Center. She’d spent about an hour floating around in the 12-foot free swim area, before diving into the same area for a bit.
Minutes before the pool closed at 6 p.m. that Saturday, Johnson said she decided to go off the diving board for her last dive of the day.
When she dove, arms first, Johnson said it felt like hitting a brick wall.
As Johnson tried to swim to the surface, she realized she couldn’t move her arms or legs. At that moment, she said she believed she had become a person with quadriplegia — and that she was going to drown.
“So many things in that moment, I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh, my life is over, so many things I didn’t do,’” Johnson said. “I’m going through all that in that moment, and then I’m also like, ‘I can’t hold my breath very long, so I am going to die.’”
Luckily, Johnson held her breath in when she dove rather than breathing out to avoid water going up her nose. She said the air in her lungs allowed her to float to the top, and she started to yell for help.
But after lifeguards rescued her, Johnson said she immediately felt like her entire body was on fire.
Johnson was rushed to the University of Kansas Medical Center — staying on the phone with her sister, Alexis Ellis, the entire ambulance ride — where she ultimately had emergency spinal surgery the next day.
The emergency surgery was to address a nerve contusion, which resulted from the diving incident but started with a preexisting and previously unknown neck injury.
Now, Johnson’s sister Ellis is trying to raise $16,000 to help cover the cost of medical bills and living expenses as Johnson recovers.
“Declared a medical miracle”
That Saturday in late July, Johnson arrived at the Merriam Community Center pool between 4 and 4:30 p.m.
Johnson said she went to that specific pool so she could also drop by the Merriam Plaza Library next door first.
After roughly an hour in the pool, Johnson said she started diving off the edge.
Johnson even texted her sister, Ellis, in between dives. It was her last dive — this time, off the board, which is a low board — that changed everything.
“All I remember is just excruciating pain and screaming at everyone not to touch me,” Johnson said, because each time a paramedic or nurse touched her it felt like “they were touching me with a blow torch.”
It sent “volts of electricity” through her body, Johnson said.
Ellis recalls buying movie tickets to see “Moana” for a 6:45 p.m. showing that night, and checking her phone at 5:50 p.m. At 5:52 p.m., she got a call from her sister.
Ellis said someone on the other line told her Johnson had been in an accident at the pool. She recalled hearing her sister screaming in the background. Ellis dropped everything and rushed to meet her sister at the hospital after barely missing the ambulance.
“I get back, and it’s just screaming pain,” Ellis said. “I’ve never seen her scream. The difference between us, I’m a big baby … I’ve never, like, a handful of times I’ve heard her complain about pain and be that screaming and crying.”
At the hospital, Johnson said she was given several types of medication to stop the burning she felt all over her body. Nothing — morphine, fentanyl or oxycodone — helped.
Nothing showed up on a CT scan. The nerve contusion was discovered through an MRI, along with the preexisting injury in Johnson’s spine and neck.
“I don’t know if maybe that was divine intervention or what, but my whole neck could’ve snapped, I could’ve been dead, paralyzed, I don’t know if that preexisting injury they found in the MRI had anything to do with it,” Johnson said.
“For whatever reason, they were like, ‘Yeah, you’re declared a medical miracle because you should either be dead or not walking and the fact that you’re doing both is crazy.’”
After the incident, the city of Merriam shared a statement:
“We are thankful to hear this individual is on the road to recovery. Our staff regularly participates in hours of training and drills to be prepared to respond quickly and effectively when incidents occur, and we’re proud of how they handle these situations.”
Johnson’s limb movement is improving
Ellis said doctors told them the preexisting injury is similar to arthritis of the neck.
Johnson has previously felt neck pain, though she said she hadn’t thought much of it, other than maybe needing a massage now and then.
When the doctors told them there was a preexisting condition, Ellis said it clicked for her that that’s why her sister’s neck was always in pain.
“If this didn’t happen, what would’ve happened five years from now?” Ellis said. “We weren’t gonna do anything but get a massage or go to the chiropractor or something. We wouldn’t even have taken it to go to the doctor and get an MRI. We would’ve never done that.”
Now, days after her emergency spinal surgery, Johnson said she is making small improvements.
In the immediate aftermath, Johnson said less of her body felt on fire.
Johnson has been able to walk a dozen or so steps and even brushed her teeth with her left hand. One of her physical therapy goals is making a fist with her right hand, which is her dominant hand.
It’s unclear when she will be moved out of the intensive care unit, but Johnson said she’s been advised that the recovery will take months. She is likely to be admitted to rehab for a couple of weeks.
How you can help
Ellis said she and Johnson typically view GoFundMe as a resource for people who need help more than they do and that she debated creating one for her sister.
But, with her sister choosing a cheaper health insurance for this year, Ellis said she thought any amount helps.
“This is out of our norm to be even doing something like this,” Ellis said. “I was like, ‘Let me just make it and see what happens.’ We’re not asking for much, but maybe we can get some help because every little bit is going to have an impact and help in this situation.”
Those who are interested in helping Monique pay off these bills can donate to the GoFundMe online here.
As of Thursday morning, the fundraiser already received more than $4,400 of its $16,000 goal.
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