Joy Cooper, the sole survivor of a plane crash in Alaska on June 28th, is on the road to recovery and hopes to be back in Texas in the near future.
The former Paris resident, now based in Sterling, Virginia, was on vacation with friends when the private plane crashed into a mountain, said her family.
Pilot Michael Scott Christy, 73, and his wife, Jean Tam, 69 — both from Anchorage — were killed, along with 29-year-old Suzanne Glass from Sterling, Virginia.
Cooper was airlifted to Providence Alaska Medical Center in critical condition with multiple wounds including13 fractures and a punctured rib.
On July 12th, Cooper underwent reconstructive surgery on her right arm from a shattered elbow, as well as having her broken humerus reset.
“The external fixator she’s been sporting was able to come off,” said brother Josiah Cooper. “She’s in some real pain as her body adjusts to this new development.”
Since the wreck, Cooper has also regained sensations in her lower extremities after a broken L1 in her spine caused no feeling from the waist down.
While the family had hoped to bring Cooper back to Texas in the near future, they said it won’t be as soon as they hoped.
“Unfortunately we’re not able to bring Joy to Dallas as soon as we hoped. The bright side is that she’s not considered a Trauma 1 victim that can’t be treated in Anchorage. This will give her more time to have some necessary surgeries and recover a bit more before she does make the big move.”
A caringbridge.org fundraising page was created to keep friends and family up-to-date with Cooper’s recovery, as well as, accept donations to aid with medical bills.
“Thank you all so much for the love and prayers! Your concern and friendship mean more than you know.”
