The second semester has brought a lot of new changes to the BSM hallways; one being that the wheelchair population has spiked from zero to two. In mid-January, two Benilde St. Margaret’s seniors, Elle Montague and Chelsea Schmidt, underwent intense and scary surgeries and have been on the road to recovery ever since.

Schmidt’s and Montague’s surgeries were just two days apart. Schmidt got her hip surgery on January 14th, and Montague got her spine surgery on January 16th. Coincidentally, the two stayed in the same wing at the exact same hospital during their surgeries. Schmidt was in recovery mode at the hospital while Montague went into surgery and even got to visit right after her surgery. “The day I was leaving the hospital was the day Elle got her surgery, I went in and visited her and got her flowers. It was really funny to see her because she was so out of it,” Schmidt said.

Both Schmidt’s and Montague’s surgeries had to do with prior complications that would worsen down the road if they did not correct them. Schmidt was born with a hip dysplasia that caused her to break her hip in her freshman year. Throughout her life, she had dealt with persistent hip problems, which ultimately became the main factor restricting some of her athletic abilities.“If I didn’t get my hip surgery, my hip would worsen over time. [During] freshman year, I broke my hip, and then after that, I also tore my labrum, and continued to have hip pain, which also led to knee pain, and they said for me to overall fix my pain, I had to get this surgery which reconstructed my hip. And if I didn’t, I would continue to do things like break my hip because of my hip dysplasia,” Schmidt said.

Similarly, Montague suffered from extreme scoliosis, which has caused many complications for her. Growing up, doctors failed to discover her scoliosis, so it worsened as she grew. She decided she needed to take action before college, and doctors recommended a spinal fusion: a surgery that permanently connects the vertebrates of the spine and “fuses” them together, hence the name. A spinal fusion is considered the second most painful surgery in the world, and on January 16th, she underwent a spinal fusion and braced herself for a long and difficult recovery. “It has obviously been hard, as it is the second most painful surgery in the entire world, but I have seen very quick progression, and I’m very thankful,” Montague said.

Schmidt was in the hospital while Montague went into surgery and got to visit her right after her surgery. Right after her surgery, Schmidt heard something coming from the other room, and it was Montague singing. Schmidt described the moment as hilarious and almost comforting because she knew that she was going through a similar experience with someone she is close to. “But I was really happy because Elle visited me for her pre-appointment when I was just out of surgery. So it was kind of nice to have someone in the room next to you that you know,” Schmidt said.

One of the hardest parts of getting a life-changing surgery is transitioning back into normal life afterwards. Both girls were faced with limited mobility after their surgeries, and that was a huge change to their everyday lives, yet something they couldn’t fully prepare themselves for. “The hardest thing for me was the mental frustrations. Being able to have to ask for help a lot with things like taking showers and getting dressed, and it was just really frustrating to do things like not being able to lift up my leg onto my bed and stuff,” Schmidt said.

Transitioning back into the flow of school and having to catch up on work were big concerns for both girls. Schmidt made it back to school with only having to miss about two weeks, but she was wheelchair bound for the first week and is gradually making the transition into crutches. However, Montague’s recovery took longer. “I was bed-bound for like, about two weeks, and that was really hard, because it’s hard to stay in bed for that long, so recovery has been very hard,” Montague said.

The two have expressed huge gratitude towards their friends and family members who have helped them along the way. When experiencing a roadblock in life, it’s crucial to have family and friends to lean on for support and guidance. They are not only important for providing emotional support, but both girls have also heavily relied on physical support during recovery. “I’m really thankful to have really good friends who helped me out the whole way. And if I didn’t have friends pushing me around and helping me all the time, it would probably be a lot worse. Same with my crutches, everyone’s been helping me open doors and stuff, so having good friends has helped the most,” Schmidt said.

Although seeing two wheelchairs in the BSM hallways may have surprised many students, what stands out far more than the surgeries themselves is the strength and positivity Schmidt and Montague have shown throughout their recoveries. From sharing a hospital wing to supporting each other through some of the most physically and mentally challenging days of their lives, their journeys reflect determination and courage.