Ballet has always been a part of Margo Gignac’s life.  The 20-year old used to be one of Coconut Grove Ballet’s star dancers.

 

“She really felt compelled to dance and you could see her soul really expressing through movement,” said her ballet teacher Doris Noriega.

 

That all changed on December 3, when Gignac was the front seat passenger in a car that plowed into a car dealership on the corner of U.S.1 and Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

 

Gignac is now a quadriplegic, but once a week she returns to the studio, where teacher Noriega works with her for free.

 

“I don’t want my body to forget how to do certain things,” says Gignac commenting on how dancing continues to be an important part of her life.

 

But Margot's body also needs more than this weekly ballet class. After a spinal cord injury there is a limited window of opportunity when function and movement can return, said her physical therapist Robin Smith.

 

“Within the first 18-24 months is when the majority of neurologic return happens. You want to have an optimal environment of exercise stimulation and standing,” Smith said.

 

Gignac was a patient at Miami Physical Therapy for eight weeks, until money ran out. Her mother left her job to become her daughter’s full-time caregiver after the crash. Gignac is now on Medicaid, and they don’t accept it at the facility.

 

Smith said Gignac should be getting physical therapy three to five times a week, which cost about $4,000 a month. She's on a waiting list at Jackson Memorial Hospital for physical therapy.

 

Her family has set up a trust to help fund her treatment and email account.