More that three weeks after her 35-foot fall from Devil’s Stand Table in Giant City State Park, SIUC student Leah Reichert is recovering at her home in Belleville and expects to return to Carbondale soon.

Reichert, an undecided sophomore, attributes her speedy recovery to her friends and family who sent cards and banners and called her both while she was in the hospital and recovering at home.

“Everyone has put a brighter smile on my face,” Reichert said. “I’m doing so much better everyday.”

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Reichert said that her family put all of the cards and banners in her hospital room. That was the first thing she saw when she woke up.

Reichert said she was in a coma for a some time but was able to sit up and respond to other commands. She does not remember any of that, however.

Reichert said she remembers walking near the Devil’s standtable Jan. 31 and seeing a huge rock that looked like a bird bath. She said she had to step from where she was to the rock and remembers looking down to see how narrow and far down the bottom was.

Reichert stepped to the other rock but lost her balance and fell. Reichert suffered a two-inch laceration on the back of her head, swelling on the brain and a fractured vertebrae in the middle of her back.

She said the first thing she thought when she woke up was, “I need to go back to school.”

Reichert said her doctor thought that her returning to school this semester would be a strain on her self-esteem. She has trouble with short-term comprehension and has difficulty putting her thoughts into words because of her head injuries.

“I try to say something, but I can’t grip the words I’m trying to say,” Reichert said.

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Reichert continues to be tested and see doctors to record her progress. She tested average to above average on a brain test two weeks after the fall.

Reichert said she has not considered legal action against Giant City State Park.

Reichert said the experience did not make her afraid of future endeavors, and she will visit Giant City State Park when she is able.

“As soon as I come back, I want to look at the area. Maybe not from the top down, but from the bottom up.”