A Santa Clarita couple have become stranded in Tahiti after a daredevil dive left the groom nearly paralysed.
John and Alana Knight wed just weeks ago, and were on the last day of their honeymoon in Bora Bora when John dived off a hut into water that was deceivingly shallow, KTLA reported.
He was rushed to hospital in Tahiti, with both John and Alana fearing the worst.
‘We went from the most amazing dream honeymoon to the biggest nightmare we could imagine,’ Alana wrote on Facebook.
John and Alana Knight married early last month (pictured) but their dream honeymoon turned to tragedy when the groom fractured his neck just one day before they were due to head home
John (pictured) has spent two weeks in ICU in Tahiti, which houses the closest hospital to Bora Bora. He has feeling in his legs but cannot move them, and is struggling to breathe
‘John sustained a complicated compression fracture at his C-7 vertebrae and spinal cord trauma. He initially couldn’t feel his legs and we were both petrified that he had just been paralyzed.’
Since being admitted to hospital, John has regained the feeling in his legs, but has been unable to move much of his body, and is struggling to breathe.
‘The neurosurgeon said there is no guarantee that it will ever resolve and only time and tons of therapy will tell, but John is hungry to fight to walk again,’ she wrote.
‘For now, he is bedridden and cannot move too much.’
The couple met on match.com and became engaged during a trip to New York
John’s neurosurgeon said there was ‘no guarantee’ the groom would be able to walk again, but Alana is trying to stay positive
The couple have been in the intensive care unit of the hospital for more than two weeks now, and they have no idea when they will be able to leave.
The accident is a bitter twist in what had been a whirlwind romance. John and Alana met on match.com, and he proposed during a trip to New York, Signal reported.
John’s friends have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of getting the couple back to the US and his medical treatment.
In just eight days, the campaign has raised more than $75,000 of its $200,000 goal.
Friends are fundraising to help get the couple home, as John will likely need special medical transportation
The pair still don’t know when they will be able to leave Tahiti and return to California
Alana told friends on social media every day has been: ‘difficult, emotional, and beyond stressful’ – but the generosity of her friends, family and strangers has been a great comfort.
‘I can’t help but use the term “nightmare” over and over but it’s really felt like one,’ she wrote.
‘But through this nightmare, there have been many blessings we are forever grateful for, that have not gone unnoticed.
‘First and foremost, John is alive. John can feel his legs.’
Despite the bitter end to their honeymoon, bride Alana is staying optimistic, and says she’s just thankful her husband is alive