Project Runway favorite Chris March speaks out about paralyzing accident one year later

Beloved Project Runway contestant Chris March is sharing details one year later after suffering a debilitating accident.

Most fans were unaware of March’s accident until this past March when Andy Cohen shared a GoFundMe campaign on the former Project Runway contestant’s behalf. “Chris March, the lovable, wonderful, talented alum of Bravo’s Project Runway and Mad Fashion is in bad shape and needs our help with his medical care,” Cohen wrote on Twitter. “Anything you can give to help is appreciated.”

Now, March is speaking out about his accident and his past year for the first time in a statement shared with EW. “Dear Everyone,” the statement begins, “Today is the one year anniversary of my accident, so I wanted to tell you what happened so you hear it from me.”

March then goes on to describe his accident and what followed. “I fell and hit my head in my apartment. It’s that simple,” he writes. “I passed out and laid there for 4 days. I woke up and called 911 and somehow got to the hospital.”

“In the hospital all sorts of medical problems happened: My blood sugar was over 500. My organs started failing, my right lung collapsed, and they had to give me a tracheotomy and put me on a ventilator,” he continues.

Doctors eventually put him in a medically induced coma, he says. “My kidneys failed, my lung kept collapsing, my gall bladder was infected. I had a wound on my right leg. My body went septic,” he explains of the events while he was in the coma. Then, he adds, “The coma lasted about 2 months. I came close to death many times—they called my family and they were told if they wanted to say goodbye to come right away.”

“Somehow I miraculously woke up—I couldn’t talk and didn’t know where I was for a couple of months,” he continues. “I ended up being paralyzed in both legs from the knees down. My right hand and arm are paralyzed.”

March reveals he has been convalescing and doing physical therapy for several months and is currently in a medical facility in Northern California, where he is able to occasionally go outside in a wheelchair.

“This has been a long and extremely difficult journey, physically and emotionally. And I have a long way to go, just like Dorothy,” he concludes. “I could not have survived without my family and friends. I deeply appreciate everyone who has donated to the Go Fund Me page. I have good days and bad days and the worst days you can imagine, but I still have my brain, and for that miracle I am forever grateful. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement.”

March was a contestant on the fourth season of Project Runway and the fourth season of Project Runway All Stars. He also had his own reality show, Mad Fashion on Bravo. He’s designed for stars such as Madonna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Meryl Streep — notably the latter’s 2010 Oscars dress.