For the first time since a prom-night accident left 18-year-old Molly Bloom near death, without her left leg and half her pelvis, the teen will attend one of the benefits held for her.
She may even dance a little bit.
Molly is the East High School student dragged by a Hummer limousine 40 feet as she was attempting to get into the vehicle. Her leg was left hanging by a flap of skin.
After 14 surgeries since the May 13 accident, numerous infections and nearly four months in the hospital, she is making a fierce recovery, her family said.
On New Year’s Eve, Molly attended a Yonder Mountain String Band concert, made her way to the front, stood up with the help of the front rails and danced.
And while she isn’t ready to talk about the accident publicly, Molly’s vibrant personality has returned, relatives say. The teenager’s cellphone ringtone is an upbeat song, and her greeting, in a girlish sing-song voice, starts out “Molly Bloom, Molly Bloom eats her hot dogs with a spoon.”
And tonight, Molly is expected to take another step when she attends a Flobots concert at the Gothic Theatre in Englewood.
Molly, who was a competitive swimmer, still faces extensive physical therapy and doctors visits, and she needs a special prosthetic to help her walk again.
A busy social life
Despite the challenges, Molly goes out with friends, trains in the pool and drives her own yellow Suburu hatchback. She is dating Jack Pincus, the boy who saved her life at the scene of the accident by using his tuxedo vest to slow the bleeding. Both attended the prom with other dates.
Later this month, Molly will begin her college career, attending the University of Colorado at Denver.
“She is much more mobile, and that really brings her spirits up,” said Katy Casper, Molly’s sister. “It helps that she has a strong group of friends and a community and even strangers who want to help.”
Her family has credited Molly’s spirit and courage for her incredible recovery, and they are grateful for the outpouring of public support.
“She feels very modest, and she doesn’t want to be necessarily thought of as special; she just wants to be normal,” said Casper, 24. “But she is also flattered that so many people care about her and think of her and stepped up to show her how important she is.”
“A reciprocal process”
The benefit with the Flobots was Casper’s idea. She went to high school with one of the band members, and vocalist Jamie Laurie, who works at East High School, knew Molly as a peer counselor in one of the programs he oversees.
“I like the way it’s a reciprocal process,” Laurie said. “It helps Molly financially, but more important, she is going to enjoy seeing people, and we are going to enjoy a chance to see her.”
Molly’s individualistic spirit is helping her work to recover and deal with her extensive injuries and life changes, Casper said.
Before the accident, Molly was quick to shy away from trying to fit in with the popular crowd, a trait Casper said she learned from her little sister.
“She said ‘I’m me’ and people saw that in her and were drawn to her,” Casper said. “That is helping her now too.”
Thanks seems to be the theme for the family’s blog and the benefit concert.
“The situation she was in was one where she was fighting for her life,” Laurie said. “Knowing her as a generous and caring person and how she’s is in a situation where she needs to be generous and caring to herself, there is something raw and powerful about that.”
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-820-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
Musical benefit
“Liger Jam 4 Molly” at the Gothic Theatre tonight features the Flobots, a hip-hop band with a trumpet and viola, joined by Bop Skizzum, Freak Street Project and the Snobs. The benefit is designed to raise money for the Molly Bloom Recovery Fund. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $8 and can be purchased at the door or at www.gothictheatre.com.
