Redmond Club Raising Money for Paralyzed Puyallup Gymnast

A Redmond gymnastics club is leading efforts to collect donations for a Puyallup teen who suffered a paralyzing fall at Roach Gymnastics in Sumner on Friday afternoon.

Jacoby Miles, 15, is a student at Ballou Junior High in Puyallup and was performing a routine maneuver on the uneven bars when she fell, suffering a traumatic injury. She is now paralyzed from the waist down, according to doctors.

She is a Level 9 gymnast and was performing a double back dismount from the high bar into the pit, when she “got lost” before her second flip was completed and landed on her neck, according to the GoFundMe online fundraising page set up in her name.

She was transported to St. Joseph’s Medical Center and later transferred to Harborview, where she underwent surgery. Jacoby is paralyzed from the waist down, but doctors are hopeful that she will regain some feeling in her upper body.

Since her accident, several have stepped forward to help. A donation page has been set up in her name, plus a support blog. Dan and Melanie Roach of Roach Gymnastics sent a mass email to their gymnastics club to help her family get more attention and support.

The gymnastics community, spearheaded by Sandy at Redmond's Emerald City Gymnastics Academy, is doing a massive fundraiser where gymnasts from across the country are making get well cards for Jacoby and including a minimum of $20 in it. Her goal is to raise $50,000 by Thanksgiving.

Cards can be dropped off in person or mailed to:

Team Jacoby Fund
c/o ECGA
17735 NE 65th St. Suite 110
Redmond, WA 98052

You can follow Jacoby's recovery and read about other ways to help via the Get Well Jacoby blog and Jacoby's fundraiser site on GoFundMe.