Sarah Jakes Roberts, a 37-year-old influential pastor, has revealed she narrowly avoided paralysis after fracturing her neck in a trampoline accident with her daughter. The incident occurred on Saturday while she was playing a game on the trampoline with her daughter, Ella, in Dallas.
Severe Spinal Injuries Detailed
Jakes Roberts described on social media how she landed on her neck during the playful activity, causing it to pop in 'several' places. After visiting two hospitals and undergoing multiple scans, she received a diagnosis of a fractured neck and herniated discs.
She wrote on Instagram that there were 'endangered areas of my spine that could have left me paralyzed.' Reflecting on the close call, she added, 'One disc up or one disc lower, and this would’ve been a different testimony.' With over 3 million Instagram followers, she shared that 'Last night was scary,' expressing the gravity of the situation.
Recovery Plan and Church Leadership
The Dallas-based co-senior pastor at The Potter's House will be required to wear a neck brace for four to six weeks to 'avoid further damage.' In her social media posts, she emphasized, 'Rest and recovery will give my body a chance to heal. I’ll be lying low while I navigate this injury with wisdom.'
Jakes Roberts co-runs The Potter's House with her husband, Touré Roberts. The couple assumed leadership of the church after her father, TD Jakes, who founded the non-denominational church in 1996, suffered a near-fatal heart attack in November 2024.
Father's Health Crisis and Church Transition
TD Jakes' heart attack occurred during a sermon, with doctors later describing him as being 'five minutes' from death, as he told People magazine last year. During the incident, he was shaking uncontrollably and dropped his microphone, prompting concern among the congregation of approximately 30,000 people, according to Christian Post.
A livestream captured him saying, 'Oh lord, my strength, my redeemer, let them go in peace,' before his voice faltered. Staff quickly intervened, urging the congregation to 'give him space,' and the broadcast ended abruptly with an off-camera voice instructing attendees to 'begin to pray.'
Reflecting on the transition, TD Jakes stated, 'After my health incident, I didn’t want the church left struggling, trying to figure out where do we go from here. I didn’t want that to happen. I've seen a lot of people keep things so long that they built and then ended up killing it.'
Author and Personal Journey
Beyond her pastoral role, Jakes Roberts is an author, having written a book titled Woman Evolve, where she discusses her experiences as a teen mom and college dropout. In a 2021 interview, she expressed, 'My prayer is that this book will be a mirror for women. That they will see so many parts of themselves in it, but also to have a radical encounter with that as they turn each page.'
The accident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of health, even during everyday family activities, and highlights the ongoing leadership and personal resilience within this prominent religious community.
