My accident happened May 13, 2018, which also happened to be Mother’s Day. While riding a scooter in downtown Nashville, my friend and I were hit by a car. I suffered a traumatic brain injury and I aspirated, which caused multiple lung issues. My friend and I were in Nashville to watch another friend ref a soccer game, so I fortunately went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and they provided excellent medical care for me. Unfortunately, because I was placed in an “induced coma” and I had a TBI, I do not remember anything regarding my medical care at VUMC. My family told me the physicians and nursing staff on the Trauma and Intensive Care Units were very caring, answered many questions about my medical condition and were upfront regarding my situation and long-term outcome. I also developed a deep vein thrombosis in my leg, and they had to put a filter in my Inferior Vena Cava in case part of it broke off. I was and still am, just haven’t gone back to work yet, a physical therapist at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, so I have a different perspective on therapy and I definitely saw a different side of things. After I was discharged from Vanderbilt, I went to Select Medical Center, a Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) facility in Knoxville, TN. I went there because I was not yet ready for inpatient rehab and it was more convenient for my parents. There, I started opening my eyes and talking and even took my first steps with my physical therapist. My parents brought my dog Henley to see me and I remember that, but not much else. I had great support from my coworkers and my friends while I was at Select. After two weeks at Select, I went to Shepherds Center in Atlanta for therapy. They too were absolutely great. For the first two weeks, I don’t really remember much. However, the day I took my first shower, washed my hair for the first time and had my plugged trach removed, a light flipped. All of a sudden, I was more like myself again. In therapy, I was extremely challenged. With speech I worked on cognitive skills, getting off thickened liquids, and improving my memory. Because my swallowing improved, I started on a regular diet. During occupational therapy, I mainly worked on strengthening the right side of my body, specifically my arm and leg. They are getting a lot better, but still have some ways to go. With physical therapy, at first I worked on walking and stamina, then I got to a point where we mostly just worked on strength and balance. When I graduated from Shepherds, they let me pick a song for my graduation. I picked “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, because it’s very pertinent to this situation and it was the song my soccer team used for a motto during my junior year in high school.
I went to Pathways, in Atlanta for outpatient therapy after Shepherds. I was there for 6 weeks Monday-Friday, for 5 1/2 hours a day. I was challenged there as well, and everyone was great. While there I worked on speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. I also had recreational therapy and pet therapy. In recreational therapy, I went rock climbing and on a hike. In PT, I worked on my fitness and went swimming. For OT, I did a lot of cooking and also started a computer program for driving. I even did some work on a driving simulator. With all these disciplines, the idea was to get me closer to the way I was before the accident. My goals at that point were to be completely independent, drive, and go back to work. They helped me get closer to those goals, and while I haven’t met them yet, I feel them getting closer every day.
After Atlanta, I came back home to Oak Ridge, which is near Knoxville. I am doing all three therapies as outpatient two – three times a week. I am also taking driving lessons and I have gone back to my gym to do workouts to help my strength. My mom and dad keep me busy with chores around the house and I enjoy visiting with friends. Approximately 3 and ½ months after my accident, I had appointments at Vanderbilt with Trauma and Respiratory. I got to see where I stayed and thank some of the people who gave me excellent medical care. They were great, and couldn’t believe how far I’ve come. I am not back to driving by myself or work yet, but hopefully I will be soon. Remember there are good alternatives to things you used to do and enjoy, but can’t do right now. It’s important to find those things, because your happiness is very crucial. I continue to make progress every day and the best advice I could give people in similar situations is to have a good attitude, don’t give up on your goals, set your bar as close to your normal as you can, and do the things the therapists give you to work on at home. I got a job description from my supervisor, gave it to my therapists, and we are working more specifically towards that goal. Now, I am independent with all self-care and I even mow our lawn, with parental supervision. I still have some improvements to make to reach my goals, but I am very proud and lucky I’ve come this far.
Rachel's Mom, Marianne
Rachel was a 27 year old young lady and a Physical Therapist at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, in Knoxville, TN. On May 13, 2018 (Mother’s Day) her life and the lives of her family and friends were turned upside down. Mother’s Day started off with my husband Steve and I attending church services and then having brunch with Rachel in Knoxville. Later that day, Rachel headed to Nashville with her friend to watch a soccer game. While in downtown Nashville, she and her friend each rented an electric scooter to ride to the game and elsewhere. On the way to the soccer game, they both were hit by a car and the person driving the car left the scene of the accident. The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. cdt. Because Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) did not know who to contact regarding Rachel’s next of kin, Marianne was not contacted until 1:30 a.m. cdt. Marianne does not recall the exact details of what she was told when she answered the call, but recalls that she started shaking when told the severity of Rachel’s condition. She was home alone, as Steve had left on business travel to North Carolina on Mother’s Day afternoon. Her initial attempt to contact Steve was not successful, so she wondered around the bedroom trying to determine what she should do and praying frequently to God to please help Rachel recover and our family get through this terrible situation. Marianne knew that she needed to prepare quickly to travel to Nashville and to coordinate with family members to take care of multiple things at our home. She finally was successful contacting Steve around 2:30 a.m. cdt to tell him about Rachel’s accident. He was devastated and very concerned about Marianne traveling to Nashville by herself. He also wished he could be there with her when she arrived at the VUMC. He tried to prepare her for the situation she would find herself and told her that when she was able to see Rachel in the Trauma Unit it would be an extremely difficult thing for her to see. Steve quickly packed and began driving home from North Carolina. Marianne arrived at VUMC around 7:00 a.m. cdt but was not able to see Rachel until around 8:30 a.m. cdt. She is not sure how or why she was able to keep her emotions under control but thinks she did it for Rachel. Even though Rachel was in a coma, she felt like it would be better for her to see that her mother was giving her support and strength during this extremely emotional and difficult time.
While waiting to see Rachel in the Trauma Unit, a VUMC physician told Marianne something no parent ever wants to hear about their loved ones, especially their own children. She was told that there was a good possibility that Rachel may not survive this tragic accident. Rachel received multiple fractures to the head/skull and was diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). She had also aspirated into her lungs, which were partially collapsed. The physicians and nurses would administer multiple medications; multiple treatments using different machines; and multiple tests to see how her body would respond. The fact that Rachel was a 27 year old young lady and very active physically were two significant factors in her favor supporting her recovery. Steve grew up around the medical profession with his father being an Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat physician and his brother being a Pediatrician. Although that was helpful, nothing could prepare him for the experience of having one of your children in a life or death situation. Once Marianne finally saw Rachel for the first time, it was very difficult. She had multiple scrapes and bruises and her body was swollen. Seeing her on a ventilator was also like a nightmare. Again, less than 24-hrs ago, Rachel’s life and our family members’ lives were doing pretty good and now things had been turned upside down. Our brains are operating like a pin-ball machine trying to determine what next steps should be taken in our personal lives in the next few minutes, hours, days, and weeks, knowing that Rachel’s medical situation would, to a significant degree, dictate what those would be. The best thing that we could continually do is to pray to God for the best possible outcome for Rachel and pray that God would help the VUMC medical staff provide her with the best possible care. We also prayed for all of the other families that we met while in the Trauma Unit waiting room as they were experiencing very similar situations with their loved ones. Steve arrived in Nashville around 12:30 p.m. cdt with Rachel’s brother Michael arriving a short-time later. Having family members together and having the ability to talk to family members and friends in person and on the phone was excellent therapy for Steve and Marianne and provided us with additional strength to deal with this ordeal.
A couple of days after Rachel’s accident, the doctors told us to expect that because of the severity of Rachel’s injuries, IF she survived that she would not be the same. Unfortunately, because of the complexities of the brain and how it works to repair itself and other parts of the body and the fact that every individual’s situation is unique, the medical staff could not provide specific details on what to expect other than it would likely be 1-2 years before we would know the full extent of the impact of the injuries to her body. Within 48 hours, primarily due to social media, many of Rachel’s co-workers, friends and extended family had learned about her accident. The prayers, support and encouraging words offered for Rachel and our family were overwhelming and very much appreciated. Rachel’s brother’s girlfriend Brittney also arrived at VUMC to offer her support. Over the next several days, Rachel’s family and friends began to visit us at VUMC to provide moral support. The gifts they brought to us and for the VUMC medical staff were very thoughtful. Fortunately, Rachel’s friend’s injuries were less severe and she was released from VUMC and allowed to return home on May 16, 2018 so that she could continue her recovery process. The changes in Rachel’s condition started to swing in her favor. Ten days after the accident, Rachel opened her eyes and it seemed like every day after that, there was something new occurring. It was like she was going through being born again. All the little baby steps that occur with infants, she was experiencing once again. We have been truly blessed that Rachel continues to recover from her injuries after five months of in-patient and out-patient therapies at multiple facilities. We are grateful with the progress she has made and it is due to her hard work and due to the excellent care she has received from multiple physicians, nurses, and therapists.
