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Van Dyken-Rouen leaves for Colorado hospital

By WTOP Staff

JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Legs strapped down, wires and tubes jutting from underneath her blankets, Amy Van Dyken-Rouen began to weep.

An accident on an all-terrain vehicle 12 days earlier left the decorated Olympic swimmer paralyzed and headed toward an uncertain future, yet these were not tears of sadness or anguish.

They were tears were of joy — for what she still has, not what she lost.

“Yes, this injury sucks and yes, things hurt, but I’m alive and I’m so thankful to be alive, so that’s why I can be positive about it,” Van Dyken-Rouen said. “It helps get me through the pain.”

A six-time Olympic gold medalist, Van Dyken-Rouen was injured when the ATV she was driving hit a curb and sent her hurtling over an embankment near Show Low on June 6. The accident left her paralyzed just below the waist, in intensive care for more than a week and with an uncertain prognosis.

As someone who has been active all her life and an athlete who was among the best ever in her sport, the possibility of spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair could have been a devastating blow.

Instead, Van Dyken-Rouen attacked her new life with the same vigor she had as a world-class swimmer.

Smiling through gritted teeth as she fought through brutal pain and restless nights, she brightened the day of everyone around her at the hospital with her positive attitude and people around the world with her upbeat posts on social media.

Now, after nearly two weeks in a Scottsdale hospital, Van Dyken-Rouen is headed toward the next phase of her recovery.

The 41-year-old loaded onto a medical transport flight Wednesday to Colorado, where she will continue rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in her hometown of Denver.

“A severe spinal cord injury with a complete loss of motor and sensory is a very difficult challenge for any patient, however in the hours after her operation, she was smiling,” said Dr. Luis Manuel Tumialan, Van Dyken-Rouen’s neurosurgeon. “She wasn’t smiling because it was easy. She was smiling because of the fortitude of her inner person, something I haven’t seen in the 14 years I’ve been doing this.

“The past 12 days, she literally walked through hell with a smile on her face, the likes of which I have never seen.”

Van Dyken-Rouen’s injuries were devastating, nearly fatal.

When her husband, former Denver Broncos punter Tom Rouen, found her, Van Dyken-Rouen was lying face down and not breathing. She began to breathe again after Tom lifted her head and was airlifted to a Scottsdale hospital after being stabilized by emergency personnel.

Once at the hospital, doctors discovered she had a fracture dislocation of the T11 vertebrae, which had subluxed almost entirely over the T12 vertebrae. The dislocated vertebrae also severed Van Dyken-Rouen’s spinal cord and caused a spinal fluid leak.

Because of the severity of Van Dyken’s injury, Dr. Tumialan told her to say goodbye to her husband because there was a chance she would not make it through surgery.

“It was one of those things where I looked at my husband and said, ‘I love you, goodbye, please continue on with your life,'” Van Dyken said.

During more than six hours of surgery, Dr. Tumialan moved Van Dyken-Rouen’s dislocated vertebrae back into place millimeters at a time to prevent a potentially-fatal rupture of her heart. He drilled screws into four vertebrae, inserted rods to stabilize her spine and patched the spinal fluid leak.

The surgery was designed to stabilize not restore function, and Van Dyken-Rouen said she is still unable to feel anything from about her pubic bone down.

She still faces an arduous road of rehabilitation and long odds for ever walking again, but will not back down whatever happens.

In the short term, Van Dyken-Rouen plans to buy the best wheelchair available, plaster it with skull-and-bones stickers, paint it purple and dye her hair to match.

Long term, she will do whatever it takes.

“It’s almost like a rebirth,” Van Dyken-Rouen said. “I get to learn how to do everything all over again and I’m anxious to do that. It’s time to start so I can get back to Arizona and continue my life — start my new life, I guess.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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