ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When a van carrying members of a Rochester-based Fleetwood Mac tribute band crashed while heading to a gig in Syracuse in 2023, it changed one band member’s life forever. The road to recovery has been a long, yet inspiring one.
For Katy Eberts, success is measured in small steps. Everyday victories that not long ago might not have seemed possible. Progress — building back strength, muscle and balance — is both motivating and grueling.
“It is exhausting work,” said Eberts. “Last week, I got my butt kicked!”
Four or five days a week, Eberts and their husband Brian travel from their home in Wayne County to Rochester Regional Health’s Unity at Ridgeway facility for intense physical therapy sessions.
“When people ask me what has kept me motivated, or what gets me through the down times, or the times to not feeling the greatest, it's really coming here,” she said.
It's hard work that’s helped Katy get back on her feet 15 months after a devastating accident. In July 2023, Eberts and fellow members of the band The Seven Wonders were involved in a terrifying van wreck on the New York State Thruway.
“I heard nothing,” she said, recalling details that still remain fuzzy. “It was just black, silent, and I thought I was dying.”
Other band members were also injured, one seriously. Eberts was airlifted to a hospital in Syracuse. She recalls waking up in the hospital, where doctors told her she suffered a serious spinal injury.
“I still didn't quite know what was going on with my own body at the time, though,” she said. “I knew I couldn't move, but I didn't know that it was because I was paralyzed.”
Eberts says when her phone was retrieved from the crash site, she already had about 150 messages from friends and family. Days after the crash, Eberts recorded a message, posting it to social media, thanking people for the outpouring of support and love.
“I want you to know I’m fighting really hard, so I can come back,” she said in the message.
They're words that she meant right from the start.
“When they told me I would never walk again, I remember laying in the hospital thinking, but what if?” She said. “What if I do?”
Katy’s fight is the kind that takes a certain mindset. It’s hers alone. Yet throughout this journey, she’s never been alone.
“All the prayers and well wishes and good vibes I’m getting from the community, it is literally giving me the energy I need to keep going,” said Eberts. “I decided we’re going to take this, and we’re going to find the silver lining.”
“Katy Strong” is more than just a slogan used in fundraisers to help her with medical bills and with updates on her recovery. She’s become an inspiration. She says it wouldn’t be possible without the support of family, friends, fellow musicians, total strangers — and of course, her husband.
“I honestly have no idea what I would have done without him,” said Eberts. “I got one of the best. I know that.”
Eberts says the accident has changed her.
“I have really bad days sometimes,” she said. “I have a lot more good days than bad days now.”
Just like before the accident, music remains her passion. As she recovers, she has made occasional on-stage appearances.
“A little-known secret about myself is I actually suffer from stage fright,” said Eberts. “A lot of people don’t know that. They’re gonna know now.”
On Saturday, October 12, ROC the Runway, a Rochester fashion show, will honor Eberts. Proceeds from the event will help in her ongoing medical expenses. She said she is blown away by the continuing support from the community.
As she continues her recovery, Eberts is encouraged by what doctors say is measurable progress. Before the accident, she was close to opening her own bakery. Eberts says she has new goals now. She wants to write a book and hopes to get back out on the stage more often.
Eberts also hopes to help and inspire others, who might be going through what she has. They're small steps of the biggest kind.
“For me, this is motivating,” she said. “As long as I continue seeing progress, that keeps me motivated. I know I can keep doing more.”