Nearly 35 years ago, Gloria Estefan was almost killed during a freak accident when a semi truck crashed into her tour bus in Pennsylvania.
The Grammy Award-winning artist, who was 32 years old at the time, was thrown to the floor of the bus and left temporarily paralyzed with a broken back.
Estefan was warned she may never be able to walk again, but with doctors’ help and her own determination, the “Conga” singer returned to the stage almost one year later. She’s since been a vocal advocate for paralysis research, having donated more than $42 million to support research towards spinal cord injuries.
GLORIA ESTEFAN RECALLS BREAKING HER BACK IN 1990 BUS ACCIDENT
Gloria Estefan has dedicated her life (and millions) to paralysis research after near-fatal bus crash. (Getty Images)
Estefan remembered being told how severe her injuries were following the 1990 crash.
“They always have to give you the worst case scenario, and I was paralyzed from that accident,” she said on CBS Mornings. “I was put back together here in New York at the hospital for joint diseases.”
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Estefan said her father had been in a wheelchair, so she understood what “the families go through.” Being in a wheelchair, though, was one of her biggest fears.
“They always have to give you the worst case scenario, and I was paralyzed from that accident.”
Estefan was 32 when she was involved in the tour bus crash. (Getty Images)
“We put an elevator in our house, because one day, I felt I was going to need it… and thank God that I did, because I used it for a long time,” she said.
Estefan partnered with Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which was co-founded by former Miami Dolphins player Nick Buoniconti and Dr. Barth Green. She said the foundation has made “amazing strides” with research projects and has “175 people working towards finding a cure.”
When asked if a cure for paralysis is on the horizon, Estefan remained steadfast with optimism.
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“I believe there will, you have to. Look at how many things have been cured,” she said. “I know when I was a child, if they told you the ‘C’ word — cancer — that was the end, and now there are so many cancer treatments.
“We put an elevator in our house, because one day, I felt I was going to need it … and thank God that I did, because I used it for a long time.”
Gloria and husband Emilo Estefan have been married since 1978, and the couple has daughter Emily (pictured) and son Nayib. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“And this will also have a lot of great things for disease like Alzheimer’s, MS that my father suffered from after Agent Orange poisoning, Parkinsons, because they’re all neuro-related diseases and this research is really important for that.”
Estefan remembered how slow her recovery felt, but her accomplishments felt big regardless of size.
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“Six months after the accident, I was able to put my underwear on myself. I wanted to throw a party,” Estefan said.
“And then, that’s when I started even thinking about getting back on stage, and to show people, ‘Hey, you can go through difficult things depending on how you deal with it.’ But, I was back on stage 20 days shy of a year. It took three years to really feel my best.”
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