Georgia Sullivan, 12, was searching for a missing AirPod on a quiet evening at home in Oceanside, Calif., when she suddenly felt searing pain. Her younger sister, Maggie Sullivan, had recently taken up crocheting and left a four-inch-long metal crochet needle on the floor. An unsuspecting Georgia stepped on the sharp needle and screamed out in pain after it lodged into her foot, requiring a swift trip to the emergency room. “I was like, 'What happened?' And I look and I see a couple of inches of this metal, sticking out of the bottom of her foot," Maggie and Georgia's mom, Ashley Sullivan, 48, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "And I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' because I knew how long those things were. So I'm like, 'You're okay. Don't look at it, just look at me. You'll be fine,' ” Sullivan, who has three additional kids, recalled. The shocking X-ray images of the injury show the needle wedged in Georgia’s foot. According to Ashley, the needle managed to dodge the bone and other important nerves and muscles. The accident occurred just before Georgia's spring break from school, and she has been able to rest before heading back to classes and sports. "It was a super freak accident. Even though about four inches of this crochet hook went into her foot, it missed hitting any bones, and really, anything major. So she only has slight irritation to one of the tendons there," Ashley explained. The pre-teen was given light sedation as a doctor quickly removed the needle. Georgia recounted the shock on the doctors' faces as they prepared to remove the needle. "I was just in shock, and when they put me in a bed, we heard them talking outside," she recounted. According to Ashley, the hospital staff were astonished. "They were like, 'She got a what? What is going on?' They all were like, 'We've never seen anything like this before.' " Despite the initial shock, Georgia is in for a quick recovery. "She's in a boot for three weeks, and the doctor said, 'If you can walk around and kind of tolerate it, that there's no PT or long term recovery,' which is crazy," Ashley said. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Georgia, who plays rugby and basketball, was anxious about what the injury could mean for her athletic goals. Ashley, also a rugby player, was relieved to learn that her daughter’s recovery time will be much quicker than expected. While she spends a few weeks recovering, Georgia has found comfort in spending time with her family and enjoying her favorite snacks. "When I was under the medicine, I made my mom promise to get me froyo," the 12-year-old said. Georgia has been taking some much-needed downtime. "She's been pretty low-key. She's watching her iPad and reading. She started walking around with crutches and a boot, but as of today, she doesn't really need the crutches," Ashley explained. Georgia is looking forward to getting back in the game. "I really don't want to miss any of the basketball season. And there's a little rookie match that I was going to do, but I don't know if I'm still going to be able to do it," she said. Maggie picked up crocheting by teaching herself on YouTube. She now makes purses, crochet animals and more. "It's nice, because she's not on her device all the time, but there's yarn and crochet hooks kind of all over the house," Ashley said. "I'm always telling her to pick up your stuff. Now, we can always say, 'Remember what happens if you don't pick up your stuff!' " Ashley quipped. PEOPLE previously spoke to Ashley when USA Rugby player and Dancing With The Stars contestant Ilona Maher offered words of encouragement to Georgia about body positivity. Georgia wrote a letter to Maher thanking her for her body-positive videos on TikTok and Instagram, and Maher shared a video in response, detailing her own experience with body image as a female athlete. "I was always a bigger girl in sixth grade," Maher explained in the video. "I remember I was 130 pounds and I never understood why am I always bigger than everybody? I didn't get that, but now I've realized this is my body and my body is meant to be big and powerful and strong. And I think that's the same with you as well." "So really recognize that and appreciate it because I'm gonna be honest, Georgia, this is it," Maher continued. "This is the body you got and this is the body you gotta love. Thank you so much for your support. It means so much to me to see and to know that I may be affecting people in a good way."