Influencer orthodontist hospitalised after electrocution ‘freak accident’

‘It’s been the worst 10 days of my life,’ Dr Hodgson says

Influencer and orthodontist Dr Cara Hodgson was hospitalised after a “freak” electrocution accident.

Dr Hodgson revealed what happened to her during a trip to Thailand to her 24,000 Instagram followers, saying she was “lucky to be here”. In the caption of her post, she wrote: “In the blink of an eye it could all be taken away... Life is so precious. One second you have it, and the next second it can be taken away from you just like that.”

“I had a freak accident on my trip and was electrocuted by power lines and ended up blacking out and being rushed to the ER in Thailand,” Hodgson explained. “It’s been the worst 10 days of my life – going in and out of hospitals fighting to regain my strength and fighting for my life. I am so lucky to be here today.”

She added that the support of her family and friends helped her immensely as she was fighting for her life. “Thank you to each and every one of you for all of the phone calls, messages, voice messages, texts, flowers, breakfast deliveries, baked goods, chocolates, cards, and just the never ending support and love,” Hodgson continued. “Each text and message, even when I was too weak to answer, made all the difference to keep me fighting when I was losing hope.”

She shared a carousel of photos and videos that included a hospital bed selfie, a photo of her IV line, a snap of affirmations written in her journal as well as images of flowers and “Get Well Soon” gifts.

She concluded her caption by reflecting on how the accident ultimately put things into perspective going into the new year and added that the whole experience taught her how precious and fleeting life can be. She wrote: “2023, you’ve taught me something I think we all need to be reminded of when we get caught up in the little things: What a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love…just being alive, being able to breathe, eat, talk, move your body, is something grand and something to be celebrated.”

Dr Hodgson first addressed her health crisis on her Instagram Story, explaining to her followers why she’d recently been absent on social media.

“Hi everyone. Sorry I’ve been MIA for the past 12 days. Still don’t have a lot of energy to type it all out but just posted about why I’ve been gone,” she told followers in an Instagram Story posted on 1 January 2024. “In short, I am just so lucky to be here and to get to ring in 2024. Don’t ever take it for granted. Love you all.”

She continued to share more details about her accident and recovery on her Instagram Story. “I’m still not out of the woods yet – going to be a lot of upcoming doctor appointments, big lifestyle changes, need to regain my strength, my weight, and need a lot of help to recover from the PTSD of it all,” Hodgson wrote in another Instagram Story. “There are still unanswered questions, but I’m just so grateful to be here.”

The orthodontist influencer, who also has 97,000 followers on TikTok, has garnered a following for her informative videos on topics revolving around dental health, getting braces, and the medical field.