The mother of a North Vancouver teen mountain biker says her daughter is beginning to emerge from a coma.
Caileigh Koppang, a professional rider at 15, crashed into a tree while training north of Whistler on Oct. 17.
With head injuries and spinal fractures, the outlook was bleak soon after the crash, said her mom Ashleigh Koppang. But it appears the worst case scenarios they had to confront won’t come to pass. They’ve confirmed that she has no spinal cord damage and Caileigh has started to show signs of consciousness.
“Obviously, it’s a marathon, not a race, and it’s kind of one day at a time, right? So it’s not a quick thing,” Ashleigh Koppang said.
In 2023, a fellow rider in Whistler became a paraplegic after a crash there, Koppang noted.
“These are the people we ride with so that’s the first thing that goes through your head,” she said.
Caileigh has excelled in every athletic pursuit she’s taken up, her mother said. She tried mountain biking at the start of COVID, and to call the 15-year-old a rising star in the world of competitive downhill mountain biking world be an understatement.
Since she began competing in 2022, Caileigh has claimed the Canadian National Champion title in her age group and won the 2023 BC Cup overall. She’s moved onto international competition and had her sights set on World Cup events at the time of the crash.
“She’s a sponsored racer by five or six companies, a paid athlete, international racer, home schooled in order to accommodate international travel,” Koppang said.
There are too many unknowns to say what Caileigh’s recovery trajectory might look like, Koppang said, but the family is investigating all rehabilitation options.
Response to GoFundMe 'overwhelming,' mother says
The response from the mountain biking community all over the world has been northing short of astonishing, Koppang said.
A GoFundMe over and above what the system can provide shot up to more than $70,000, with big names in the industry and strangers alike sending both donations and words of encouragement for the family.
“It’s amazing to see everyone come together, and the support has been overwhelming,” Koppang said. “Definitely it was her jam, and her light shone bright when she was on that bike. It was definitely a passion of hers.”
Locally, people on the trails may spot purple ribbons tied to the trees, and families in the neighbourhood are putting up purple Christmas lights in her honour.
“Caileigh’s race color and her prototype race bike is purple.... She’s always been known as the purple bullet,” she said. “We live at the base of Seymour so Seymour is her playground and she would ride it every single day, and shuttle maybe five times a day, and just ride the mountain alone by herself.”
While they wait to see how Caileigh’s condition improves, all of the prayers, the support and good vibes have been appreciated, Koppang said.
