Lauren smiles: Injured model reaches new milestone

Scruggs, who was badly hurt in a plane-propeller accident, also lifted her eyebrows and walked on her own

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Video: Model walks on own for first time

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Closed captioning of: Model walks on own for first time

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>>> miraculous recovery of a texas woman who accidentally walked into a plane's still spinning propeller. natalie 's here with the latest on this story. hey, natalie .

>> good morning, ann. it's been a little over a week after that accident and it is still touch-and-go for the 23-year-old model, but new details are emerging that suggest lauren scruggs is well on the road to recovery.

>> wanted to let you know that we are starting a pumpkin carving contest on "lolo" magazine.

>> reporter: just ten days after the propeller accident that left her critically injured, aspiring model and fashionista lauren scruggs is showing remarkable signs of recovery. on monday, her family posted a new blog entry online with hopeful news, saying " praise the lord , lauren 's pain is much more manageable today!" "she has been eating some of her favorite foods today, sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs!" and probably the most encouraging news yet, her deeply religious parents write, " lauren was able to walk on her own today, such a miracle!"

>> i am lauren scruggs with "lolo" mag.

>> reporter: the 23-year-old fashion blogger has a passion for flying. a week ago saturday, she flew over dallas in a single-engine plane with a friend to see christmas lights around the city. but as she exited the plane, she accidentally walked into the still spinning propeller. lauren suffered a number of critical injuries. her left hand was severed. she has a skull fracture, a brain injury , a broken collar bone, and she may still lose her left eye .

>> she's got her spunk back, her personality.

>> yeah, her personality.

>> she's smiling. her face, you know, she's able to raise both eyebrows.

>> yeah.

>> that doesn't sound like a big deal , but they were worried about the nerve on one side.

>> reporter: friends and neighbors have rallied around lauren . over the weekend, they raised nearly $15,000 to help pay her extensive medical bills.

>> most are just our regular customers, would come in and they have thrown money in the bucket.

>> reporter: lauren 's facebook page and blog are full of well wishes from friends and strangers around the world, praying for her recovery.

>> we're just seeing an outpouring from across the country and also across the world. we're getting e-mails from everywhere, and we just really appreciate all that everyone's doing for us, from prayers and donations.

>> and while lauren is making progress, she still has a long way to go. she's working with a physical therapist now to improve her strength, and doctors are still not sure if she'll regain the use of her left eye , ann.

>> all right, natalie . thank you

Show transcript

By Lisa Granshaw

TODAY.com

updated 12/13/2011 8:06:08 AM ET

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A week after being severely injured in a plane propeller accident, Lauren Scruggs has smiled and lifted both eyebrows for the first time.

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“Earlier in the week, we requested prayer for Lauren's facial nerve, and it appears prayers have been answered!” reads a post from Saturday on CaringBridge.org, the site the injured 23-year-old model's family uses to update well-wishers on her condition. “Lauren is able to smile and lift both eyebrows on her own, such a miracle!”

Story: Injured model walks, sees own face for the first time

Her family updated the site late Monday to post about continued improvements, writing, "Lauren was able to walk on her own today, such a miracle!”

“Praise the Lord, Lauren's pain is much more manageable today!” the post reads. “Thank you so much for the prayers! She has been eating some of her favorite foods today, sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs!"

The family mentioned Lauren's walking attempts in their Saturday post, which went up shortly before midnight.

"She was awake and alert for most of the day! She was able to drink some juice and eat a tiny bit, keep praying for this!" the site reads. "She walked up and down the hall 3 times today with the help of a physical therapist, the doctors are all very pleased with her progress."

Scruggs suffered lacerations to her face, a fractured skull and a severed left hand when she walked into a still-spinning propeller at Aero Country Airport, about 30 miles from Dallas, on December 5. She was moving in the darkness toward the front of the plane — possibly to thank the pilot, who was a friend of hers.

Story: Parents of injured model: 'She will fight through this'

The family has been using the site since Lauren's accident as a way of informing supporters of her milestones. They are now asking for prayers to focus on her left eye, which she could lose due to extensive damage sustained in the incident.

Video: Injured model sees face after propeller injury (on this page)

TODAY

Model and editor Lauren Scruggs continues to show signs of recovery since her devastating plane-propeller accident.

On Dec. 8, the Scruggs family reported Lauren had taken 30 steps, and had said the number out loud, indicating she had been counting. She knows she "was in a bad accident," mom Cheryl told reporters. "But she can't remember any detail of it at all."

She had also seen her face for the first time, in a mirror. "She looked and she said, 'That's not that bad,'" said dad Jeff. "So that was really encouraging. You know what, and she still has her beautiful smile."

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Story: Model, editor badly injured by plane's propeller

Though Lauren had been excelling at physical therapy, her father said, cognitive challenges still lay ahead.

Due to the number of surgeries Lauren will need, her parents have set up the Lauren Scruggs Hope Fund to raise money to help pay for her medical bills. Donations can be made at Lauren's CaringBridge site.