- An ICU nurse from Boston, Massachusetts is recovering after being seriously injured in a moped accident in Thailand
- Sierra Fairhurst is now back home after suffering a broken eye socket, nose and cheekbones, as well as a broken collarbone and a bleed on the brain, among other injuries, per Boston 25 News
- “We were on the road, and then we weren’t,” she told the outlet of the accident
An ICU nurse from Massachusetts has been seriously injured following a moped accident while she was on vacation in Thailand.
Sierra Fairhurst, who works at Salem Hospital, has now returned home to Boston after suffering “obvious facial injuries, a brain bleed, and multiple broken bones” in the “devastating” crash while on vacation with friends, per her mom, Zoe Rose, via GoFundMe,
Fairhurst told Boston 25 News, “We were on the road, and then we weren’t,” of what she remembers about the accident.
“I remember going to see the elephants, and we went zip-lining and all the excursions that we did, but that’s it,” she noted to the Fox-affiliated WFXT station.
Fairhurst added to the outlet, “My eye socket is broken, I almost lost my eye, my cheekbones and nose were broken, so that’s all metal now.”
She also suffered a brain bleed, a broken collarbone and lost most of her teeth, the station reported.
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“I talk with a lisp now, and people often ask me to repeat myself a few times,” Fairhurst said.
The 23-year-old nurse was initially taken to Krabi, on southern Thailand’s west coast, for treatment, per Fox News.
Her mom Zoe Rose then flew to Thailand so her daughter could get the surgery she needed in the capital, Bangkok, before they flew home to the U.S., Boston 25 News reported.
“She’s very self-conscious in regards to all the scarring on her face and the missing teeth, but she still came out of this alive, and her brain is healing and doing well, and she’s still beautiful,” Rose told the outlet.
Fairhurst said she would like to “help quickly” so she can return to work at the hospital. “[I want to] see my co-workers and my friends and take care of my patients,” she said, per Boston 25 News.
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In a March 27 GoFundMe update which was also shared on Facebook, Rose wrote, “Well since we arrived home we have been busy. Sierra went straight to the hospital from Logan [Boston Logan International Airport] to be checked out. She was cleared and doesn’t need inpatient.”
“Now she has an abundance of outpatient visits. She has already been to the wound clinic and oral maxillofacial surgeon. Still has follow-ups scheduled with them and PCP, neurologist, ocular plastic surgeon, orthopedic surgeon and eventually cosmetic dentist,” Fairhurst’s mom shared in the post, adding that her daughter “is happy to be back.”
“I have had time to process this. This was no doubt the most terrifying few weeks of my life. Traumatizing,” Zoe Rose added.
“Despite the long road ahead for her, this could have been completely different and I’m so grateful to have her here, alive and her brain in working order. Her face can be fixed, her wounds will heal, bones can be repaired. She has the strength to overcome all of this,” she wrote.
“Words are not enough, nothing will ever be enough to show gratitude for everyone’s love, support and prayers. Without the connections that were given to me, the outcome could have been longer and more devastating. We thank God she made it out of Krabi to Bangkok where she received exceptional care. We are so thankful she is home 
,” the message concluded.
The GoFundMe page had raised just over $63,000 as of Thursday, April 3. PEOPLE has reached out for an update on Fairhurst’s recovery but is yet to hear back.
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