Sperandeo (pic) went to the hospital last week after a horse she was handling while working on a ranch in Arizona fell on top of her and fractured her skull in two places. — Screengrab from TikTok/@steadyrein
A cowgirl who is beloved across social media suffered an injury so traumatic that she has no memory of her life and career as a TikTok star, her family says.
Emmie Sperandeo, known on Instagram as @emogoatmom and on TikTok as @steadyrein, went to the hospital last week after a horse she was handling while working on a ranch in Arizona fell on top of her and fractured her skull in two places.
The accident left her with a brain injury, and she has been unconscious for the better part of a week, according to reports on her social media pages and an online fundraiser her family set up for her medical expenses.
“Keep on keepin’ on our sweet cowgirl,” Sperandeo’s family said in a May 23 post on TikTok in which it shared the “good news” that Sperandeo’s condition had improved enough for her to leave the intensive care unit.
“Although Emmie is not out of the woods yet, at this time it sounds like her condition is stable enough to move her from the ICU into the neurological ward where she’ll go through both speech and physical therapy,” the post says.
The news of her accident and injury traveled fast across equestrian communities on social media. Followers sent so many letters to the 27-year-old, her family said it would need more wall space at the hospital to display them all. Many also left well wishes on her social media pages and GoFundMe page.
But because of the brain injury, Sperandeo has only been able to remember things from about seven to 14 years ago, when she was between 13 and 20 years old, CBS5 reported.
“She’s able to read your sweet letters and kind words, but still is unable to comprehend why she’s here, or why people are writing to her,” the TikTok post says.
Sperandeo was still recovering from a concussion sustained in April when a bucking horse threw her onto a fence railing, the GoFundMe says.
While in the hospital for her current injury, Sperandeo has been in and out of consciousness while her ears bleed and her brain swelled, according to the GoFundMe.
“Apparently these types of injuries are quite unpredictable,” the GoFundMe summary says. “It’s still early in the process, yet it’s becoming clear that at best she’s going to need months to recover to a satisfactory level.... Thanks for being there for her. Please keep rooting for her speedy recovery.”
Marino Sperandeo told cbs5 his daughter was whiplashed by the horse as it fell sideways and her head smacked into the “rocky ground.
“It hit hard enough that people from 100 yards away could hear the impact of her head on the ground,” he told the station. “She’s a tough kid, but she’s got a long road ahead of her.”
Sperandeo’s family lives in Florida, and it’s trying to figure out a plan to care for her dog, three horses, and the young bison she had been raising, the station reported. It’s looking as if the bison will have to go to Montana. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
