Gateway woman’s recovery journey after getting struck by a bus

A Southwest Florida woman is lucky to be alive and is relearning how to do a lot on her own again after she was hit by a bus.

A picture taken just hours before Tracy Fox’s life changed forever.

“Laying there on the pavement, I remember saying to the people around me, Did this really just happen? Didn’t I have the light? I thought I had the light,” said Fox.

In November, while on a work trip in Washington, D.C., a bus hit Fox as she was crossing the street.

“I will say if you get by a bus, DC is the place to do it,” said Fox. “And I did what we’re calling my ‘Great D.C. hospital tour.'”

Fox got through the hard times, including 51 days in the hospital and 10 surgeries, some of which involved having her foot amputated, by having a positive attitude.

“Is it traumatic to lose a limb? Absolutely. Has it changed our lives? Completely. And I feel like I’m here to do more,” said Fox.

Four months later and fox is back at her home in Gateway with a prosthetic foot. Going through grueling physical therapy to learn to walk on her own again.

“I feel like I’ve come light years, but it’s a lifelong thing,” said Fox.

She’s embracing her new life. She’s looking to give back where she can. She is already working to get involved with the national nonprofit, the Amputee Coalition.

“Struggles are temporary. Challenges are temporary. Pain is temporary. If you can look for the good, you’ll find the good in everything. The more you look for the good, the more good you see, and then the more good you want to put out in the world,” said Fox.

For the third year in a row, Fox and her husband are hosting the Great Beach Cleanup at the Bonita Dog Beach. It will be Fox’s first time back at the beach since getting injured. If you’d like to join them, you can show up at 8 a.m., or there are spots open at the other beach cleanups across the county.