Rebecca Koltun, then 21 years old and a student at SUNY Binghamton, suffered catastrophic injuries to her neck and spinal cord in a ski accident in March 2021 that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
Koltun said she doesn’t remember the accident, but spent the following nine months in hospitals.
On Saturday, May 24, Plainview community members participated in the fourth annual “Rally for Rebecca” 5K race, raising nearly $100,000 to support Koltun.
Lauren Mensch, a longtime friend of Koltun, has helped organize the race each year. She said their families frequently vacationed together when growing up, and that Koltun’s injury hit her hard.
“When Rebecca was first injured, there was a staggering outpouring of support from her community and from people around the world,” she said.
The fundraised money offsets some of Koltun’s medical expenses, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
“She’s able to afford her nurses and her different wheelchair needs, and there are so many medical devices and so many things that you don’t even think about that cost so much money that insurance isn’t going to cover,” Mensch said. “It really allows her to live her life in a way that’s productive and meaningful.”
Koltun said she began painting with her mouth as a form of therapy, but she now sells her artwork through her company, MadebyMouth.
“I’m working a new path for myself,” Koltun said.
“Since the time that Rebecca was tragically injured, she has impressed and inspired all of us time and again with her determination, her relentless drive and her positive spirit in the face of adversity,” Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold Drucker said.
And Koltun said she is appreciative of the people who have helped her over the past few years.
“It’s just crazy that so many people care about me and want to support me,” she said.
