Summer fun turned tragic for Valley View teen Olivia Kozuszek and nearly destroyed her dream of seeing Taylor Swift in concert. In June 2023, she fell 25 feet off a water slide and suffered a severe neck injury. “I kept telling my friends I couldn’t move,” says Olivia. “I was afraid I was paralyzed because I couldn’t feel anything.” When a nearby emergency room tried to send her home after finding nothing wrong, Olivia’s mom Heidi, trusted her gut. “I just said I don't think that's right. So I asked if we could go to Dayton Children’s.”
Dayton Children’s was the right place to care for Olivia’s injuries; it was certified in November 2023 as a Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons for the second time. This is the highest trauma level attainable, proving once again to parents that they can rely on Dayton Children’s to provide the best care for their child, even in the toughest circumstances. A fact that Heidi knew.
After two weeks and surgery at Dayton Children's Hospital, three months in a neck brace and one memory-making trip to LA to finally see Taylor Swift, Olivia is back to the basics. She’s on the school’s softball team and in a league out of Sandusky, cheering on her Valley View Spartan football and basketball teams, and she’s teaching the next generation.
Her mom shared, "She is back to herself. Back to the Olivia that we all love and know. And it's nice to see her smile all the time, to see the glow back again.”
🌟 Learn more about the level 1 trauma center at Dayton Children's: www.childrensdayton.org/the-h...
🌟Read Olivia's full story: www.childrensdayton.org/patie...