Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A high school community is rallying around a teenager seriously injured after falling from a tree.
Skye Siddoway, 17, is in the intensive care unit at Primary Children's Hospital. She suffered serious brain injuries after falling about 30 feet from a tree on Aug. 31.
"She's amazing, her grit is just unmatched," said Hailey Bird, Skye's friend and teammate at Farmington High School.
Skye is a key part of the track and cross-country teams at Farmington High School. "She holds the record in the mile, 800 (meter) and two-mile race in track," Bird said.
"She's a fantastic runner, she has a couple of (college) coaches reaching out to her," friend Molli Bell said.
As team captain, her teammates say that Skye leads by example with an energetic and fun-loving personality. "She was always bringing the energy and hyping us all up. It's just crazy not having her there," Bird said.
Last week, Skye was absent from her cross-country meet. Instead, her friends ran in her honor with the words "Strong Like Skye" to inspire them.
The 17-year-old is fighting for her life. "It was so hard just to see my friend in a hospital bed in a medically induced coma," Bell said.
Just over a week ago, Skye fell about 30 feet from a tree. She was out skateboarding along a path near Farmington Regional Park.
"They've had to remove a portion of her skull so they could allow the brain to expand and not have so much pressure," Monica Bell, Molli's mom and close friend to Skye's mom said.
Skye suffered traumatic brain injuries. Monica Bell said she is being kept under sedation to reduce stressors to her brain.
Though the path ahead is uncertain, Skye's friends are rallying around her, hopeful she can win this race.
"She's honestly one of the toughest people I know. I know that whatever her road to recovery is that she can do it. She's gonna work hard and give everything she's got," Molli Bell said.
According to family friends, Skye's family has been through a lot. Her father unexpectedly passed away eight years ago and their mother is raising her four children on her own.
A GoFundMe* is raising funds to cover medical expenses.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
