Lauren Scruggs, who inadvertently walked into a rotating airplane propeller last year, says she is adjusting to life with her new eye and hand, but it is a struggle.
The now 24-year-old Scruggs, who was often mistakenly reported as a model in the media, had taken a small plane ride in the Dallas area last December to view Christmas lights. After the flight Scruggs had thanked the pilot for the trip and turned to walk away, but due to the darkness on the runway walked right into the still rotating propeller of the plane.
Lauren Scruggs Injuries
She suffered injuries to her face and head, causing the lose of her left eye. Her left hand was also lost when it was severed by the propeller.
Now after a long recovery, she tells People that she struggles to adjust to life with her new prosthetic arm, eye and hair extensions to cover the spot on her head that was shaved.
Coping With New Eye, Loss Of Hand
Lauren says it is hard to come to terms of what has happened to her and how she used to look, especially when she struggles to try to do everything with one hand.
She tells People in the interview “Sometimes it’s easy to dwell on the fact that I don’t look the same. I still struggle with that – I want to look nice. But every day I’m feeling better and better.”
She adds, “When I got home from hospital I would cry a lot and it was hard to look in the mirror. Before the accident I would get a lot of attention for the way I looked, so I held a lot of my identity there. But these things aren’t going to make you feel whole. They’re empty things.”
Referring to losing her hand, she said: “Reality hit me when I got off my pain medication. I just wanted my hand back. I went through the process of grieving and still am today.”
“My doctor told me that losing your hand is like losing someone in your family. Because it’s a part of you.”
Scruggs has written a book on her accident and struggles in life, which also includes stories of her family life. The book is titled “Still Lolo,” and was released on November 15th.