The 22-year-old University of Otago marine ecology student cheated death, and now she is preparing to return to her studies.
Last August, she was on her way to British Columbia, Canada, after winning a scholarship to spend time studying at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.
But the trip of a lifetime was cut short when the avid rock-climber decided to stop off in California on the way, to do some climbing in Yosemite National Park before her studies started.
She was climbing on Runout Slab at Snake Dike, where she slipped and rolled down a steep slope, hitting a ledge on the way down.
The fall broke her neck, spine, pelvis, ribs, wrist, feet and toes, and left her with internal injuries, including a punctured lung.
Her left foot was so badly damaged, it had to be amputated, and she had to have major reconstructive surgery on her right foot.
The only bones that remained intact were her arms, her thigh bones and her head.
Miss Parsons spent about two months in a United States hospital, recovering enough to return to New Zealand late last year.
Since then, she had spent about six weeks recovering in Christchurch’s Burwood Hospital, working on her rehabilitation and learning to walk again with a prosthetic foot.
Surprisingly, she had already returned to rock climbing.
"It’s a case of getting back on the horse.
"I’m getting better with my prosthetic.
"I’ve been climbing a bunch and just trying to get used to it."
She said she also hoped to get another modified prosthetic that could attach to a surf board so she could return to the waves.
"I’m looking forward to getting back into surfing."
She said she still had some pain, but yoga was helping her to strengthen the muscles around her surgical sites and prevented her from having to take regular pain killers.
"There’s still a bit of rehab to go.
"There has been some frustration trying to get used to my new life.
"You’re always being told that if you work hard at something, you’ll get better at it, but that’s not always the case.
"It is what it is, I guess."
Buoying her mood was her preparation for a return to North America, where the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre had held her scholarship open for her to start the specialised programme in August.
"They kept my place because I put a lot of work into going there. I’m the first person from Otago University to go there.
"I have quite a good rapport with the lady who runs the centre and she said straight after the accident that they would hold the place for when I’m ready to come back.
"I’m so excited. It’s a dream come true.
"My dream of becoming a marine ecologist is still within my grasp — as long as they’ll employ someone with one leg," she joked.
Before she heads off, Miss Parsons will complete her bachelor of ecology with a minor in marine science.
At some stage next year, she hopes to return to the University of Otago to start a master’s degree in marine science.
