Tina Adams shows off 'warrior wounds' 1 year after car crash

Hudson resident Tina Adams can't walk without crutches. For longer distances, she uses a wheelchair.

"When people see me with clothes on, they think I may have a sprained ankle," she said in an interview on CBC Radio's Homerun Monday.

"But underneath my clothing is a completely different story," she said. She wanted to illustrate that story for the one-year anniversary of the day that changed her life.

Homerun5:40Tina Adams shows off scars 1 year after car crash

One year after being hit by an alleged drunk driver, Hudson resident Tina Adams marked the anniversary with a photo shoot that shows off her "warrior wounds."

A routine jog gone wrong

Adams, then a student at John Abbott's police technology program, was out on her routine jog with a friend June 12, 2015 when she was hit by a car, driven by an alleged drunk driver.

The list of injuries was extensive: a cracked skull and traumatic brain injury, fractured spine, blood clot in her head, two punctured lungs, fractured ribs, internal bleeding, hip and pelvis completely destroyed on the right side, burns from electric wires that fell on her and nerve damage in her legs.

A few months ago, she was scrolling through her Facebook feed when she came across photos of a plus-sized male model. She thought they were beautiful, and it gave her an idea on how to celebrate the upcoming anniversary.

A natural in front of the camera

She hired local photographer Emilie Olson to take photos of her, in a bikini – a way to put the scars she got as a result of the accident on display.

"It doesn't matter if you have scars, stretch marks, cellulite, anything. It shouldn't change the way you see yourself," she said.

Olson said the two of them spoke for weeks, discussing how best to go about taking the photos. Adams was insistent from the start about doing something that exuded confidence. 

"It was an honour to be the one who would tell her story from her side, a year later," Olson said.

Adams was a natural in front of the camera, Olson said. She wasn't apprehensive and required little direction.

"I told her she could be a public speaker if she wanted because she speaks so well, but she also has a model in her," Olson said.

More surgeries ahead

Adams says she still needs three surgeries, including a hip replacement.

But she said the photos of her "warrior wounds," as she calls them, were a way to put a positive light on the darkness that befell her.

She hopes the photos will help others see their flaws differently as well.

"All these things we see as imperfections are part of our story and who we are today," she said.