28-Year-Old Woman Paralyzed from the Waist Down After Piano Falls on Her: 'Severed My Spinal Cord’

Danielle Drummond faces a long road ahead, but her sister tells PEOPLE she's in "great spirits" and is "gaining the knowledge she needs to thrive independently"

A 28-year-old woman is now paralyzed from the waist down after a grand piano fell on top of her.

Danielle Drummond told CBS affiliate WOIO in an interview published on Sunday, May 19, that the accident happened after she moved to Eugene, Ore., in hopes of getting a "fresh start."

The Ohio native said she was in the process of helping a friend move a grand piano when she bent over to put something underneath it, causing it to slip out of her friend's hands.

“She dropped like a whole upright grand piano on me, and it severed my spinal cord. Now, I’m paralyzed from the waist down," Drummond told the news outlet.

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Following emergency surgery, Drummond was told she would never walk again, but she's determined to stay positive and focus on what she can control.

“I’m trying to keep like in high spirits because I know this is my life now, but it’s hard. As of right now, I need a lot more physical therapy. I need to rebuild my strength," she said.

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Although her family is miles away, her sister, Rosie Hayne, has created a GoFundMe on her behalf.

Hayne notes in the campaign that Drummond has a T11 and T12 fracture, along with a fusion from T10 to L2, making her family "completely heartbroken."

"My baby sister means the world to me, and I am hoping that any help received can provide financial support for her medical needs," she adds.

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In an update this week, Hayne tells PEOPLE that there's still a lot to figure out.

"We are currently in the process of trying to figure out where she will live after her rehabilitation," she says. "I would love for her to come back and live in Cleveland, but that would be her decision completely, as she does have family here and none in Oregon."

But, Hayne adds, her sister continues to be in "great spirits," and is "gaining the knowledge she needs to thrive independently."

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