ABOVE: DORIS DAHL, BECKMAN INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
In 2006, Joey Ramp suffered 23 broken bones, an injury to her prefrontal cortex, and permanent nerve damage to the left side of her body after she and her horse took a fall. Ramp recalls plunging head first, and then the horse, which she had been training to play polo, rolling on top of her. She fractured her eye socket, cheekbone, and two vertebrae, and broke her jaw and collarbone.
Two years and multiple surgeries later, Ramp’s body was restored to the extent that modern medicine would allow, but her injuries meant she could no longer continue her career as a horse trainer. She also faced a bigger problem: severe and lasting damage to her mental health.
In combination with a history of childhood sexual abuse, the accident caused Ramp to develop symptoms that led to a diagnosis of a complex form ...
