‘I choose what I do’: Paige Wood’s fight to get back on the volleyball court

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)- Nobody truly understands what it’s like to survive a traumatic crash — and Crook County volleyball standout Paige Wood knows that firsthand.

“Nobody knows what it’s like. And nobody understands,” an emotional Paige said. “You want to tell the people closest to you how it really feels, and you want them to say they understand. But at the end of the day, nobody understands.”

On a Sunday morning in August, Paige was driving over the pass back to Prineville so she could attend church with a friend. During the drive, she fell asleep at the wheel.

The crash left her with broken legs and multiple serious injuries.

People passing by stopped, called emergency services, and stayed with Paige until help arrived. One of the first responders asked her name and Paige remembers her immediate response.

“The first thing I said was, ‘Please call my mom,’” Paige said. “I didn’t know where I was. I just kept saying, ‘Please call her.’ That’s who you want by your side.”

Emergency crews worked to free Paige from the car before preparing to airlift her to the hospital. A woman stayed with her, keeping her awake as rescuers worked.

“They started a chainsaw,” Paige said. “I could feel everything in my legs. It honestly felt like somebody was shredding them apart. You can’t even describe that feeling.”

Paige’s parents, Heidi and Jeremy Wood, were at the Oregon coast celebrating their anniversary when they received the call. At first, Heidi thought it was a routine accident.

But then came another call.

“They told us she was being airlifted,” Heidi said. “At first they said Eugene, and that’s when I realized this was more than a broken arm or a bloody nose.”

Soon after, emergency services called again. Paige would be taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend instead.

“They said it was ten minutes closer, and that those ten minutes were critical,” Heidi said. “That’s when we knew how serious this was.”

On their way back, Heidi and Jeremy passed the crash site, a moment Heidi describes as devastating. As they approached Hoodoo, Heidi finally spoke with Paige as she was being rushed into emergency surgery.

“I told her they had to help her,” Heidi said. “I told her I loved her and that we were on our way. When they took her off the phone, I could still hear her screaming.”

At St. Charles, Paige was placed into a medically induced coma. Due to the severity of her injuries — and her age — she was later airlifted to Doernbechers Children’s Hospital in Portland.

Doctors warned her family that Paige might not wake up.

“They told us they didn’t know if she was going to wake up,” Heidi said. “That’s something no parent should ever hear.”

For ten days, Heidi and Jeremy stayed by their daughter’s side, watching her go in and out of surgery.

Then, on the tenth day, Paige woke up.

Since that moment, her road to recovery began, and it hasn’t been easy.

In the five months since the crash, Paige has undergone 13 surgeries, with more still ahead. At one point, doctors discussed the possibility that she might never walk again.

“Hearing those things was soul-crushing,” Paige said. “I kept asking why. Why did my season get taken away? Why did my legs get taken away?”

Despite the setbacks, Paige has faced every challenge head-on. Her family has been with her every step of the way and so has the community.

Following the crash, hundreds of people showed support through fundraisers, prayers, shirts, and letters.

“I’ve gotten my ‘why’ every single day,” Paige said. “From people telling me they’re proud of me, praying for me — people I don’t even know. It makes you believe tomorrow can be better.”

While the community’s support fuels her strength, Paige says her biggest inspiration is her father, Jeremy, who is battling prostate cancer.

“He told he might only live five years,” Paige said. “And he said, ‘I don’t plan on living five years — I plan on living more.’ Watching him not give up is why I’m going to play volleyball.”

Paige plans to return to the volleyball court for her senior year. Until then, she’s staying connected to the sport in a different way, coaching a 16U team for the Central Oregon Volleyball Club alongside her parents.

“Some days are really hard, but then I get to practice, and it feels normal again. It reminds me who I am.” Paige said.

Paige says she refuses to let anyone define her limits.

“Nobody else gets to choose my life except me,” she said. “I’m not an average person.”

Determined to overcome every obstacle — pushing herself even on the hardest days — Paige Wood continues to fight her way back.

And one day soon, she hopes to do it from the volleyball court.