Amberly Lago once felt she had everything—a thriving career as a fitness instructor, a loving husband, and two daughters, living her California dream. But in May 2010, her life changed forever.
At age 38, Lago was riding her motorcycle through Los Angeles when an SUV struck her, throwing her about 30 feet onto the busy road. “There was blood everywhere,” she recalls. “My leg was broken into pieces. With every heartbeat, blood shot out like something from a horror movie.”
Rushed to the hospital, Lago suffered a shattered leg and a severed femoral artery. The pain was unbearable. “I’ve had two babies and passed kidney stones, but this was the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” she told PEOPLE. In the ambulance, she gripped a paramedic’s leg, desperate for reassurance. “I thought, ‘Does he know I’m going to die?’”
At Northridge Hospital, her condition was critical. Doctors placed her in a medically induced coma for over a week. When she woke, they gave her grim news: they needed to amputate her leg, as there was only a 1% chance of saving it.
Refusing amputation, Lago fought to be transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. There, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Donald Wiss agreed to try to save her leg. “He is my hero,” Lago says.
Over the following months, she endured 34 surgeries. Doctors warned she would be disabled, unable to walk or work again. But Lago was determined. “No, that’s not the life I see for me. I will walk again,” she said.
It took a year of grueling rehab before she walked again. Each surgery forced her to restart recovery—from wheelchair to crutches and back again. She attended physical therapy five days a week, becoming so familiar with the rehab center that the owner gave her a key.
Four months after the accident, Lago was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a rare, chronic condition causing intense pain, swelling, and sensitivity in her leg. Often called “suicide disease,” CRPS has no cure, and treatments are limited.
“Every day feels like millions of rubber bands wrapped around my foot with fire ants stinging me,” Lago explains. The pain is relentless and made daily tasks agonizing. Despite trying many therapies—including spinal blocks, ketamine infusions, and dozens of medications—nothing has fully eased her suffering.
The physical pain took a toll on Lago’s mental health. Once a professional dancer and fitness trainer, she struggled to accept her scars and changed body. “I hated myself,” she admits. This pain led her to alcohol abuse as a way to numb her feelings.
“I was ready to give up,” she says. “I isolated myself and drank more to find relief. It was a vicious cycle.”
Her outlook shifted in 2016 during a visit with Dr. Wiss. He held her leg in his lap and admired it as if it were a masterpiece. “If he could see it that way, maybe I could too,” Lago reflects. Since then, she has embraced sobriety and worked hard to maintain a positive mindset.
“Pain has been my greatest teacher,” she says. “It pushes you until your purpose pulls you.”
Fifteen years after the crash, Lago, now 53 and living in Heath, Texas, walks independently, stays active, and even dances to embarrass her daughters. She regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and credits the support of the community with helping her cope.
Her journey is ongoing. She is preparing for another leg surgery on June 2. “This is something I live with every day,” she says.
As an author, motivational speaker, coach, and podcast host, Lago now dedicates her life to inspiring others to find resilience. Earlier this year, she published Joy Through The Journey, a guide to reclaiming happiness despite life’s challenges.
Reflecting on her experience, Lago says simply, “I survived this. Now I look forward to what’s ahead.”
