Community rallies to support Mayra Martin Caro after horrifying skydiving crash landing

A “wonderful” student has been left bedridden and having nightmares after a terrifying skydiving crash-landing left her with several broken ribs, severe back injuries and more.

Mayra Martin Caro suffered a fractured spine, an injury to her coccyx, fractured ribs, and damage to some internal organs in the crash-landing. Picture: supplied.

A Colombian student is fighting to walk again after a terrifying skydiving incident left her bound to a hospital bed.

In what was meant to be an unforgettable and adrenaline-filled day of fun skydiving near Geelong last month, 34-year-old Mayra Martin Caro was left with severe injuries to her spine and coccyx, several fractured ribs and damage to some internal organs during a rough landing.

Since the accident, the international student has been through four Melbourne hospitals and is now bedridden in an eastern suburbs rehab facility, facing a potential 12-month road to recovery.

Mayra came to Australia to study English and works in the aged-care industry. Picture: supplied.

Unable to walk or care for herself, Mayra’s cousin Lorena Pena-Roshier stepped in to help.

“The doctors haven’t given us a definite time frame for her recovery,” she said.

“She’s such a wonderful person, it should never have happened.”

Ms Pena-Roshier said Mayra had struggled through recovery — experiencing continued feelings of nausea, pain and nightmares — but had not given up, saying she “pushes to walk everyday”.

Along with the physical pain of recovery, the language barrier has posed a further challenge for Mayra, a Columbian national and native Spanish speaker.

“She was here to study English and working taking care of the elderly,” Ms Pena-Roshier said.

X-rays of Mayra’s back show the damaged area of her spine. Picture: supplied.

“Since being in hospital she has lost her income and has been unable to study.”

To help Ms Pena-Roshier with the around-the-clock care, Mayra put most of her savings towards flying her mother to Australia from Colombia.

To help Mayra with the ongoing costs of recovery, bills and loss of income, Ms Pena-Roshier started a GoFundMe.

“Her student insurance doesn’t cover certain medical procedures and surgeries,” she said.

“The daily living costs including her rent and food have exhausted her savings and they continue to pile up.”

At the time of writing, the fundraiser had garnered $3061.

Originally published as Community rallies to support Mayra Martin Caro after horrifying skydiving crash landing