Michelle Best loves the outdoors, walking two miles every day along the deserted road where she lives in Cook Forest, a remote state park about two hours north of Pittsburgh. When her progressive multiple sclerosis began to affect her balance and stability, she purchased an e-bike, thinking it would help her get around outside if she could no longer walk.
A couple of days after she got the bike, she decided to take it out for a quick spin — just down the road and back, then it would be off to a friend’s house for a long-overdue visit. Only half of a mile from her home, tragedy struck. Michelle began to lose control of the bike and slammed on her front brakes, which sent her sailing over the handlebars and into a ditch on the side of the road.
“When I landed, I heard a snap,” Michelle said. “I was doubled over and I couldn’t get a deep breath. I just prayed, ‘God, please send somebody to help me.’”
The people who came to her rescue weren’t just anybody — they were UPMC critical care nurse Ashley Cyparski and her fiancé Nathan Pascoe. The couple, both EMTs and volunteer firefighters, had gotten engaged just moments earlier. They were making their way to a local campground from the remote spot Pascoe had chosen for the proposal when they came upon Michelle.
“Nathan immediately pulled over, and we both jumped out of the truck,” said Ashley. “She was crumpled onto herself and couldn’t breathe well, so I stabilized her neck while Nathan turned her over.”
While Ashley and Nathan were no strangers to medical emergencies, they usually had basic first aid supplies and a way to communicate with the outside world. On the side of a dirt road in Cook Forest, they had none of these, not even emergency satellite phone service. Nathan took off in his truck to get to a location where he could call for help while Ashley stayed behind, holding Michelle’s neck in place.
“I tried to keep her talking,” Ashley said. “I asked her about her family, her pets, her hobbies. Eventually I ran out of questions, and she asked why we were out there in such a remote part of the forest. Michelle was the first person to find out that Nathan and I were engaged!”
Michelle was so excited at the news, Ashley said she did a little “shimmy” despite her apparent paralysis.
Eventually, a park ranger came speeding down the road toward the two women.
“What do you need?” he shouted, jumping out of the truck.
“We need to get her to a trauma center now,” Ashley told him. “Get a helicopter up in the air, get EMS on the road, get a landing pad ready. And get me a collar for her neck!”
The ranger said it was going to be another 45-60 minutes before EMS arrived, and that he didn’t have a collar in his car.
“Ashley was incredible. She directed the whole scene,” Michelle said. “She got on the ranger’s radio and made the arrangements for me to be transported to a trauma center, all while holding my neck in place.”
By the time EMS arrived, Michelle’s oxygen saturation level was hovering around the high 80th percentile and her blood pressure was good, but she couldn’t move or feel her arms or legs.
“We got her on oxygen and a backboard, and Nathan helped lift her into the ambulance which drove her to the landing zone,” Ashley said. “We watched the helicopter take off, not knowing if we’d ever see her again.”
Life-Saving Care at UPMC Hospitals
Michelle was flown to UPMC Presbyterian, where she underwent emergency surgery to stabilize her spine. She spent another week recovering at Presby before being transferred to the spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit at UPMC Mercy.
“They made me start working to regain my mobility right away,” Michelle said. “[Physical therapist] Joe [Everhart] made me stand up, and I hung on to the parallel bars for support. I couldn’t believe I could do that. Everything jumpstarted from there.”
Michelle’s recovery, like her rescue, has been nothing short of miraculous. When she arrived, her arms and legs were dead weight. Now, after spending the past month in three hours of physical and occupational therapy each day, she can walk, perform basic household tasks, and is working on regaining fine motor control.
“This is what you want for every patient,” Joe said.
A Chance Reunion
In the weeks following the accident, Ashley and Nathan couldn’t stop thinking about Michelle. They didn’t even know if she was alive, let alone what her condition was.
“I had this hope for her that just wouldn’t quit,” Ashley said. “I could tell she was a fighter.”
She checked the news and asked around at work, but there were no leads. Until one day, when she was telling a co-worker the story of her surprise engagement-turned-rescue. The co-worker’s eyes widened. “I think she’s here,” she said. “I think she’s on 7E.”
Ashley scrambled to get someone to cover her patients in the UPMC Mercy emergency department before rushing upstairs. Trembling, with tears in her eyes, she approached the front desk.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I think I saved one of your patients,” Ashley said to health unit coordinator Debra Kuzma.
Debra jumped from her seat, hugging Ashley, and led her to Michelle’s room. It was empty, but as they turned around, Ashley saw Michelle at the other end of the hall, leaving the therapy gym in her power wheelchair.
“Do you remember me?” Ashley said as she approached Michelle. Michelle peered at her, curious.
“You look a little familiar,” Michelle said quizzically.
“I found you,” Ashley said. Michelle’s face remained blank. “I found you,” she repeated.
As a wave of recognition rushed over her, Michelle stood from her chair to hug Ashley.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Ashley said. “I didn’t think I’d ever see her again, let alone see her standing and walking.”
“We just held onto each other and cried,” said Michelle. “Nathan and Ashley, they’re my kids now. They’ll always be my kids.”
Michelle is determined to live independently for as long as possible, despite her injury and progressive MS diagnosis. For their part, Ashley and Nathan say they expect to see her signature “shimmy” at their wedding in October 2027.
Related Posts:
