Woman Who lost more than 80% of her scalp in freak go-kart accident
An Indiana woman who lost more than half her scalp during a horrific go-kart accident six months ago is now going through the difficult healing process.
Shelbi Crouch, who before the accident had beautiful long, strawberry blonde hair, now spends her time visiting plastic surgeons in order to repair her scalp.
She nearly died after her hair caught in the axle of a kart at Whiteland Raceway Park in Indianapolis, her first ever ride in one of the vehicles.
According to WTHR, Ms Crouch was wearing a helmet and some sort of neck brace. She was told that her hair was fine peeking out from underneath the helmet. But when the kart hit a bump, her hair somehow got lodged in one of the axles. Her hair and scalp was essentially ripped off.
Her mother, Sherri CrouchWilson, told the station that her daughter suffered a whole host of injuries, including a skull fracture, traumatic brain injury, broken temporal bones, and paralysis on her face.
Mrs Crouch-Wilson said that the most difficult thing for her daughter remains coming to terms with her loss.
‘She’s really struggling with…the identity of not having that hair and probably never being about to have her own hair,’ she told WTHR in September.
Ms Crouch, who was voted to have the best hair of her high school class, now frequents doctors’ and surgeons’ offices to repair the damage from the freak accident.
Already, the 20-year-old has had several painful surgeries and skin grafts, and can expect many more.
For now, Ms Crouch often covers her head with hats, caps, and scarves.
Many ask her if she’s undergoing chemotherapy.