Krushevo, one of the most famous paragliding spots in the world, attracts adventurers from various countries every year. One of them is Pauline Bayle, who together with the Polish team and her love for paragliding was inspired to visit Krushevo about two years ago. But what started as an exciting experience, ended up with a serious injury to her right foot while landing with a paraglider on the last day of her visit, which had to be urgently rehabilitated.

"That day, the wind was high and I suffered a very serious injury to my right foot while landing. At the place where I landed I was completely alone, no one from my team was anywhere near me. I was in terrible pain with my foot completely dislocated, and unable to walk. I somehow managed to contact my instructor, who took an hour to get to the place I was. Fortunately, when the instructor started calling hospitals for information, the owner of the house we were staying in recommended us to go to Acibadem Sistina and after a three-hour journey we got there," says Pauline.

At Acibadem Sistina Hospital, the patient Pauline was admitted by Dr. Mihajlo Ivanovski, traumatology specialist, who told her that surgery needed to be performed immediately, but encouraged her not to be afraid and assured her that everything would be fine and that she would certainly be able to walk without any issues again.

"After clinical and radiological examinations, we determined that two surgical procedures were necessary. We performed one procedure immediately after admission, which was to reposition the open luxation of the big toe and tarsal bones, while for the second one we had to wait two weeks due to the local findings on the foot. Both surgeries went successfully," explains Dr. Ivanovski.

The stay in Skopje was not easy for Pauline – all alone and far from home, in foreign country. She remarked that she will always remember the warm welcome at the hospital and the care provided to her by the staff, who made her feel safe and accepted from the very first moment. “I felt something I could not have expected – warmth and humanity at every step. The entire staff – doctors, nurses, paramedics – were very kind and caring. Their positive approach and smiles during my stay in the hospital gave me strength and comfort. It helped me not to think about the severity of the injury. I lack words to help me express my gratitude to all these people, especially the medical team,” says Pauline.

Due to the complex nature of the injury, Pauline extended her stay in Skopje for another month for rehabilitation and monitoring of her recovery, before returning home to Poland. In her home country, she continued to have follow-up examinations by specialists in Poland and later in France. For these doctors, this operation has been a real feat, for which they admitted to her that they would never have taken such a risk.

"At all the follow-ups in Poland and France, I have been told to be careful, since they were not sure how the leg would react over time. None of them gave me a clear answer – except for my doctor in Skopje, who told me: 'You'll be walking and paragliding again in a year,'" says Pauline.

Nearly two years later, Pauline returns to Skopje again, having one goal – to visit Dr. Ivanovski and hear his opinion, which is most valuable to her. She is planning a new adventure in November, this time in Nepal – climbing Annapurna along with a group of mountaineers. She noted that she has been mountaineering for more than 10 years, but after the accident, only one question constantly pondered her:

"Will I be able to climb again after my injury?" "I had opinions from many doctors, but only one mattered to me – the opinion of the doctor who operated on me and got my life back on track. Before I embarked on a new adventure, I simply wanted him to tell me that I was ready. He is the one I trust the most," said Pauline.