Silvia has loved horses her whole life. She worked as a riding instructor and horse trainer in college. Silvia worked for years to be able to get her own horse.

In 2017, Silvia was on vacation and was participating in a trail horse back ride when the horse she was on tripped. The horse ended up falling on top of Silvia and crushed her. Fortunately, there were two doctors who were a part of the trail ride and they were able to quickly help get Silvia to a hospital. It was there that Silvia was told she had a C4 spinal cord injury and had to have a fusion and decompression surgery. Silvia spent about five months in the hospital before she was discharged to outpatient therapy.

Since 2017, Silvia has worked hard and has regained a lot of her mobility. However, she still needs assistance when she leaves her home. Unfortunately, insurance has denied her from obtaining mobility aids. Since the pandemic, this has meant Silvia is mostly confined to her home.

The Victory Scholarship Silvia received for a mobility scooter has opened Silvia’s world back up and giving her the ability to comfortably leave her home.

“The Victory scholarship is my victory! It is a victory for my freedom and independence!”