“In July 2016, I went hiking with my brother. It was a bad decision because it was so dangerous, and a really bad decision because our dad had told us not to hike there. I fell 70 feet off a cliff and sustained a diffuse axonal injury, along with a broken skull, zygomatic bone, and several ribs. Fortunately, I fell into a shallow stream of melted snow water, and my brain didn't swell because my body temperature got so low.
My brother somehow called 911 before he lost service, and was able to pull my face out of the freezing water so I could breathe. After 3 or 4 hours, I was rescued by helicopter and transported to a hospital. Even though my brain didn't swell, I was still in a coma for about 3 months. This was fortunate, because it gave my fractured bones time to heal.
My recovery was delayed by the fact I couldn't remember anything and I couldn't talk. Finally, about 3.5 months after I fell, I "relearned" how to speak, and my recovery took off. I learned to walk again after a year, drive again after 18 months, and I went back to college (with fewer classes) after 2 years.
Every day is still difficult, but each day I can do more than the day before. Sometimes it's hard to keep trying, but then I think of where I've been, and I remember Who helped me out of the deepest hole I've ever found myself in, and I remember that my Savior is literally my Savior- He saved me, and He still saves me.”
-Abby, TBI Survivor
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