ABC’s People Icons tonight delves into the incredible story of model and fashion blogger Lauren Scruggs Kennedy, who lost a hand and one of her eyes after walking into a spinning airplane propeller.
Lauren’s dramatic tale began in December 2011 when she was being taken for a plane ride by a family friend and got a feeling that something just wasn’t quite right. The journey was uneventful, however, and the plane landed safely.
Soon after though, Lauren’s life changed forever. As she was exiting the plane, it was dark and she hit the still-spinning propeller after being sucked towards it.
The propeller struck her down the left side, resulting in her losing an eye and one of her hands and suffering severe facial injuries.
She was left in hospital for three weeks, then had to endure daily physical therapy sessions for a whole year.
However, she made a remarkable recovery. Less than a year after her accident, she made a brave appearance on NBC’s Today show to be interviewed and tell her story.
Lauren now has a prosthetic arm and eye, and has had to try to come to terms with her injuries. She says on People Icons: “I’ve definitely struggled through it. I’ve been like, man, today I really miss my hand…and, today’s just hard.”
After her accident, Lauren wondered if she would ever be attractive to men again. Fate intervened and she was introduced to E! News co-host Jason Kennedy by a mutual friend, and the two are now happily married.
Lauren is the founder of LOLO Magazine, which offers a unique perspective on fashion, and has an enormous fanbase on Instagram with some 243,000 followers.
In an incredible turn, the 28-year-old also returned to modeling four years after her accident. Tune in to People Icons to hear her full story…
People Icons airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.