Jenna Privette Will Recover From Paralysis, But No Timetable

"I believe God put me in this situation to help other people. And I believe he's going to get me out of it. I know it's going to happen soon."

Those are the words Jenna Privette, a Burnsville girl  on Jan. 7, spoke to the Pioneer Press on Wednesday.

In a pretty thorough interview, Jenna and her mom, Penny Rich-Privette, talked about life, the struggles the injury has caused, and her recovery.

The good news: Penny told the Pioneer Press that "doctors are anticipating a full recovery." But Jenna's still paralyzed from the waist down and her recovery timetable is uncertain. She's recovering from what doctors describe as a "concussion to her spine."

"It's kind of day-by-day," Penny told the Pioneer Press.

Jenna, meanwhile, is at Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul doing her physical and occupational therapies. She hasn't gone back to classes at St. Croix Lutheran High School, but is working on her studies in her room at Gillette.

"I'm a fighter. I don't give up," she told the Pioneer Press. "If you saw me in physical therapy, I was in a lot of pain, but I didn't give up on it. I pushed myself, and people have to hold me back."

And Jenna's not done with hockey, either.

"I'll play intramural hockey if they have it at the college I go to," she said in the report. "You just can't give up a sport you've been playing since you were 4. It's scary, but the chances of it happening again are small."

Want to help?

A special bracelet with the message “Jenna #23; In our hearts” is for sale for $5 each with proceeds to help with Jenna’s medical expenses. They are available at St. Croix Lutheran High School.

In addition, an account has been set up and donations can be sent to “Jenna Privette Fund” at the Anchor Bank, located at 66 East Thompson, West St. Paul, MN, 55118. Donations can be dropped off at any Anchor Bank location or at St. Croix Lutheran High School.

Burnsville Patch will follow this story. Read the  here.