In November 2023, Leah Weiher was climbing a tree while hunting with her crossbow when disaster struck. "As I was climbing up the tree, I grabbed onto the hang-on stand, and it unfolded on me. I fell about 15 feet, landing on my crossbow," Weiher recounts.
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As reported by WBNS 10TV, Weiher and her doctors were unsure if she'd ever walk again. "He basically said it was 50/50. We could do the surgery, and I could never walk again or I could maybe walk again. There was no guarantee I would get any movement back."
In April 2024, however, Weiher took her first steps with her one-year-old daughter, Laken. "We started walking right around the same time, within days of each other, which was my goal. I didn't think I would actually be able to do it," Weiher recounted. She started doing physical therapy twice a week, aware of how much her daughter needed her.
"A lot of times, it was hard to get out of bed in the morning... All I could think about was her and that she needed me."
Leah Weiher's Long Road To Recovery Following Hunting Accident
Per PEOPLE, Weiher shares an important message of dedication and personal strength.
"Looking back at how I've dealt with it and how hard I've pushed myself, I now know that I'm a lot stronger than I thought," Weiher said. "Statistically, it is a miracle that I'm walking, especially this soon. My goal was to be walking by my year anniversary of the accident, and I completely blew that out of the water. I was walking in four months."
The journey to where Weiher is now is harrowing, even resulting in the end of her relationship at the time. But despite the hardships and inner conflicts on the way, she remains optimistic.
"'Never give up' is my takeaway from my accident and my recovery," she says.
"Because you naturally want to give up in situations like that sometimes. If you're not in a good mental head space, then you're going be like, 'I can't do this or it seems impossible,' but it's not. You just have to push yourself."
