On June 23, 2014, the Aspen community stood quiet. The sun was lacking its brightness and the vitality of the town was as gloomy as ever. The following night, close friend, teammate, and classmate Mackenzie Langley, was airlifted to Denver Children’s Hospital following a terrible car accident that left her close to death.

Suddenly, back in Aspen, a new community was born. It started with group texts, tears, shock, and then a vigil. People in the room were probably praying to different gods, or no god. Our community was based on shared grief and hope. However, for those of you who know the big eyed, enthusiastic, tough 17-year-old, then you were aware that nothing was keeping Mackenzie from survival.

Fast-forward 10 months and she is still the same outgoing, charismatic girl she was before that devastating summer night, but a fracture in nine of her vertebrate has left her unable to walk.

The diagnosis is an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). She began with absolutely no feeling below her belly button but has made remarkable progress since. She first got feeling in her legs back in July, but the sensation is irregular.

“Touching my legs feels like your legs when you touch them over a pair of pants. It’s delayed. I can’t feel temperature. Hot or cold,” Langley said. “I have bad nerve pain. Nerve pain is a pain people with SCI have where you have imaginary pain that feels so real. So my feet will feel ice cold when they are burning.”

A typical day for Mackenzie begins just like any other high school student, however her tasks take much longer before she can start her day at Craig Rehabilitation Center in Denver.

“I need to get out of bed, shower, get dressed and grab some breakfast. The difference is, those tasks used to take me less then a half hour but now it takes me over two hours and I need some assistance,” she said. “Following this, I go to Craig outpatient for four to six hours where I participate in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and schoolwork.”

Those closest to Mackenzie are still amazed with her progress and strength.

“I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be in her situation, but she honestly goes into every therapy session with such a drive,” Carlyn Langley said.

Mackenzie’s recovery was set back by a staff infection on the hardware that was put in her back in June of 2014 to stabilize her spine. She has just returned from seven weeks in Houston, where she had four surgeries. She is now infection free and no longer in pain. In fact, she is making a bigger comeback than ever.

On Friday, April 10^th, the community rallied around Mackenzie at the Merry Go Round on Highlands Mountain. The Aspen Ski Company opened the lift, after hours, for a night of dinner, dancing and a silent auction. To say it was a success would be an understatement. Only 300 tickets critically available but the demand was so high that over 350 tickets were sold for $60 each. Mackenzie’s appearance was a surprise to many, and all were left speechless from the genuine and gracious speech she gave.

“Thank you to everyone for turning something so ugly into something so beautiful,” she said.

Mackenzie even showed off her progress by standing up with her walker and taking steps with the help of her older sister Carlyn and older brother Coby.

Teachers have been making an effort to get Mackenzie caught up in her curriculum so she can achieve her goal of getting her diploma and graduating on stage with the class of 2016. One teacher and mentor to Mackenzie is English teacher Sarah Straussburger, who has been working with Mackenzie’s teacher in Denver, giving her the opportunity to continue working on English throughout her stay at Craig.

“Mackenzie has been making a terrific effort; she does everything so well and asks for feedback and clarification. She doesn’t shy away from any academic challenges and she works really hard. It is really a pleasure to work with her and read her writing and insight into literature,” Straussburger said.

While Mackenzie’s absence from Aspen has left her miles away from her support system, Mackenzie’s friends, classmates, and teammates feel a void without her presence as well.

“Mackenzie was one of my closest friends last year, especially during the spring and fall soccer seasons,” junior Laura Knaus said. “The Aspen Girls’ Soccer team and I have missed her dearly on the field. Not going to classes with her, or spending time with Mackenzie on the weekends has been a drastic change in my life that is still hard to adjust.”

At the end of the day, it is important that the Aspen community still sees Mackenzie for the girl she really is. She has faced more obstacles than most people ever will in a lifetime, and although you might see her “the girl in the wheelchair,” she is so much more. She has a long road ahead of her but with endless, love and support Mackenzie is confident she’ll be back on her feet in no time.

Mackenzie’s ultimate message is simple:

“To all those out there who enjoy reaching new speed records in their cars please know no one is invincible. I thought I was. I now know that no one is invincible.”

Not only has Mackenzie’s life been impacted by this event, but her family’s too.

Friends and family of Mackenzie have learned a lot from this journey, shaping each one of them in a significant way. Her older sister Carlyn not only learned attributes about her strong little sister that she didn’t know before, but she has also found a new outlook on how fragile life is.

“I honestly think that things happen for a reason. This situation is one of those things that you always think ‘happen’ but they never ‘happen’ to you,” Carlyn said. “I have learned to cherish all of the little things in life because you truly never know when it may be taken away from you. I have learned to go about each day with a positive attitude.”