Ryan's Story

My son, Ryan Corbin, fell through a skylight that was on the roof of his apartment building June 19, 2001. He was 24 at the time and the warmest young man you could ever meet. It was a three story fall and he hit a couple of railings on the second and first floor on the way down. He was in a coma for over 4 months and we were told that it looked like he would be in a permanent vegetative state. But he is truly a miracle. Slowly but surely he emerged and he hasn't stopped emerging. He has regained his ability to speak, eat, sing, read, write and many other things. He has major challenges ahead as he has behavior outbursts and is still in a wheelchair. His short term memory is very affected and he doesn't initiate speech often even though he understands everything being said to him and can respond clearly. He is so handsome that it's hard to believe when you look at him that he could have taken such a fall. More movement and function continue to return and we believe he will walk again and find his self-control. We rejoice in his life and look forward to his future.

Lindy Michaelis M.O.M!

For more info on info on Ryan, please visit his website at www.ryansreach.com

Lisa's Story

Lisa is a beautiful and loving person that has touched many lives. She is 30 years old and works at a Christian school during the day and The Fisherman's Restaurant at night. She is a Southern California local and graduated from  Dana Hills High School in 1991. She loves life and has the ability to make a friend wherever she goes. She enjoys the beach, reading romance novels, camping and hanging with her friends. She is a devoted sister, daughter, godmother and a true friend to many. Lisa is single and a hopeless romantic. She is still searching for her Prince Charming with a medieval flare.

Lisa was involved in a serious accident early Saturday morning, September 28, 2002. The man responsible pleaded guilty to a felony and is currently serving his sentence. Lisa suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury. She was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Mission Hospital for 4 months and then was transferred to a sub-acute facility at South Coast Hospital in Laguna Beach where she stayed for 10 months. Thirteen months after her accident Lisa started to respond more and more by the grace of God was transferred to an acute rehab in Tustin for 6 weeks before going HOME!

Since being home Lisa has continued at a rapid pace regaining her physical strength as well as her mental alertness and memory. It has been a experience hard to describe. Every depth of emotion has been experienced and our Faith has grown without boundaries. We serve an awesome God. His loving hand has been on our shoulders all he way!

Cathy Estanislau M.O.M!

For more info on Lisa please visit her website at www.getwelllisa.com

Carly's Story

Where there is great love - there are miracles.

How true this quote is - Carly is truly our miracle. Carly was a NCAA senior scholarship athlete in volleyball at Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

On October 14, 2003, after practice she had a team dinner at a professor's home on the Inter-coastal waterway. Before dinner she and a teammate took a ride on one of the jet skis. Carly was the passenger. They went down the waterway and turned to circle back, hitting a sandbar which headed them into nearby trees. Carly suffered a closed head injury and had two blood clots removed. She was in drug induced coma for two weeks.

She has made miraculous progress in the last 10 months, relearning how to walk, talk, swallow and much more. The road will be long but Carly is determined with the great love and help from her family and friends.

Christy Draudt M.O.M!

For more info on Carly please visit her website at http://www.healcarly.com

Rusty's Story

Rusty is my 18 year old son who enjoys being active. He likes playing paintball, bike tricks, rifle shooting, Metallica music and collecting shot glasses. Rusty loves anything military, especially Special Ops or Special Forces. He wants to join the military after high school graduation.

   On June 30, 2003, Rusty was hit by a car while riding his Go-Ped and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. I was told he was on death's door step. He received fabulous care for 50 days in the ICU at Mission Hospital then transferred to HealthBridge Children's Hospital where he spent the next 13 months. Rusty is a survivor of many setbacks and presently has a shunt in the left side of his brain. He gave his first "thumbs up" in May 2004 and continues to amaze us with his progress. Rusty recently moved to a board and care and we are working toward bringing Rusty home to the family who loves him. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Debbie Peasland M.O.M!   

Mandy's Story

To know her is to love her. She was a friend to all that knew her. Her life changed the moment her car hit a patch of black ice (frozen water you cannot see) on March 9 of 1994 in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Mandy suffered a punctured lung, a broken collar bone and a traumatic brain injury. She was in a coma for three months. Over the years she had relearned how to swallow, speak, sit up, etc. etc. All of the things we take for granted. The fight is not over yet. She is not the same person she used to be, but she is still a remarkable young lady that refuses to quit. She has done everything the doctors said she would never do. The prognosis was "If she lives, she will be at a vegetative state." Mandy, after 10 years, still continues to improve. She spends most of her time in a wheelchair but she is able to take steps with a quad cane. She wants to be independent again and with her faith and trust in our Jesus and her determination, she will get there!

Mandy is an inspiration to all of us that know her and she seems to bless  everyone she meets. She still has an infectious smile! She has been through many years of every kind of therapy - physical therapy - occupational therapy - speech therapy - and cognitive therapy. In 2002 she started attending the Acquired Brain Injury Program at the Coastline Community College in Costa Mesa, California. She is learning how to improvise for what is working. Everyone at this program are "Angels on Earth" helping their students to "live again!" Our hope next is that she will be able to attend an awesome program called High Hopes in Tustin, California so she can continue to have all of the therapies that she needs. We refuse to give up! You can reach Mandy at Mandy349@Netzero.com. By the way, Mandy is an awesome prayer warrior!

Rosy Haskins M.O.M!

My eighteen-year-old son Yashar has been athletic all his life. He played club soccer, was on his high school cross county team and the track team. In high school he was enrolled in a combination of Honors and Advanced Placement courses and was on track for a four-year university. Outside of school he liked to hang out with friends, play guitar and go off-roading.

On the morning of May 24, 2004 he and two other friends decided to skip assembly at school and go driving. They ended up on a two-lane hilly road. The driver lost control of the car and they hit a tree at 10:30 in the morning. Yashar was rushed to Mission Hospital where he spent one month in an induced coma. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, and multiple fractures.

After coming out of the coma he spent another three months in rehabilitation. He finally came home on October 22, 2004. The following three months he attended the day program at Mission Hospital receiving various therapies.

He has made great progress and is walking again. February 1, 2005 he returned to high school. The path ahead of Yashar still involves a lot of work but with support from his family, and his sense of humor and determination he will reach his goals.

Jake’s accident happened as a result of skateboarding without a helmet. 911 was called and he was rushed to Mission Hospital.

Jake was taken to surgery immediately where a craniotomy was performed to allow for the swelling, and the rest of his fractured skull and face was put together. He was then placed in a drug-induced coma and on a respirator. We were told what no parent wants to hear, "He is in extremely critical condition. We don’t know if he will survive the night. There is no prognosis at this time. We will have to wait and see." No night has ever been longer. I barely recognized him. Monitors coming out of his brain, I.V.s in every vein, his bruised an battered face grey, his body lifeless. He was taken back to surgery for a trach and G and J tubes. Jake made it through the night and the next day and the next night, as we started to get used to one breath at a time, one hour, one day.

He was eventually transferred to South Coast Hospital to floor 5 and their trach unit until he was strong enough to undergo yet another surgery to replace the pieces of his skull.

We were able to bring Jake home six months later. He is in a wheelchair as his hips, legs and feet atrophied and developed contractures, an occasional side effect of coma. Jake has had 3 surgeries to remove the eptopic bone and to improve his range of motion.

It has been about three and a half years since Jake’s accident and his great attitude and personality, and the fact that our family has always lived with humor, has helped get us through this incredibly trying time in our lives. Jake is always happy and in a positive mood. Some of his comments since the accident are jsut so priceless. I take great joy daily realizing how far he has come and that I am still a mom.

Tom’s Story

Tom graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School.  His claim to fame is being their most valuable player on his 1997 CIF Golf Championship Team.  He was accepted and enrolled in Cal Berkeley following graduation.  In November of ’04, while walking back to his room just a couple blocks from campus, he was beaten and robbed by two men.  He suffered a closed head injury and severe brain trauma.  He spent the next two weeks at Oakland Hospital, two weeks at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, followed by two weeks as a Winways in-patient.  He has been an out-patient at Mission Hospital since mid-January.  In mid-May he is being transferred to the Center for Rehab/Sports and Wellness at Mission Hospital.  He recently enrolled in an English class at Saddleback College, and is doing well!!  He has a wonderful sense of humor and a kind and gentle personality.  He loves golf, tennis, snow skiing and everything electronic.  His plans are to return to Berkeley for the fall of ’05 semester.  When all this happened, he was just a semester away from his degree!

Maggie Osseck M.O.M!

Linda’s Story

On July 15, 2004 we got the call that every parent fears. Our 20 year old daughter had been in a near fatal car accident...Hit by a 25 y.o. man who had fallen asleep at the wheel. She was in a coma with traumatic brain injury, facial fractures and shattered pelvis. I took immediate leave from my job as did my husband and we took up vigil at her bedside. Out son, who is 18 and autistic was affected deeply as Linda was his window to the world in many ways.

Through the miracle of prayer and unfailing support from our family and friends we have made it thru the toughest days of our life. Through the skilled Doctors at Cedars Sinai and the amazing nursing care as well as her youthfulness and God's grace, Linda has survived and has been making incredible progress in Rehab. The brain is a great mystery and when you are young it can build new pathways and give us hope for the future. In spite of suffering, right sided strokes and bleeding and damage to the frontal and parietal lobes Linda has learned to walk and talk and eat on her own! She has remained positive and determined to get her life back. Her personality has changed in that she doesn't have the highs and lows she used to but there is a serenity and acceptance about her. She still loves to be around people and will engage anyone in conversation and she is still the sweet and full of humor young woman that we know and love.

She has years of rehab ahead of her as she works to regain cognitive and short term memory skills as well as physical strength. The prognosis is good at this point. They felt that in 3-4 years no one meeting her for the first time will be aware of her deficits as she will have learned to overcome or compensate for them.

Our lives have been changed forever and now it feels like a lifetime ago that I saw Linda dancing with fluid beauty in the living room with her friends, her long dark curls flowing, eyes laughing and carefree. We have lost something precious, our daughter's future as we imagined it. We have gained a family closeness and a deeper understanding of our place in this life. I believe that given time and an open mind, my daughter will discover what special place she is meant to hold in this world.

She is my angel, my butterfly emerging from her cocoon and learning to use her wings again.

God Bless you all

Lori Sparks M.O.M!

Samantha’s Story

What was once the most exciting time of Samantha’s life turned out to be the most tragic, life-changing experience for all of us.  April 8, 2005, just 3 weeks after her 16^th birthday she was in a near fatal car accident. Her new Scion clipped an equestrian style log fencing along San Dimas Avenue and one of the logs broke through the windshield, delivering a powerful blow to the left side of her face and head resulting in an open skull injury and numerous broken facial bones.

By the grace of God, she survived the accident but has spent the last 10 months working very hard to recover from the severe brain injury she suffered. Thousands of people came together in prayer, asking for God’s healing hand upon her. Thankfully she began to emerge to consciousness and is in the midst of a miraculous recovery.  Luke 18:27 “What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.”.

This beautiful teenager is a witness to God’s love and the power of prayer. She was an accomplished young teenager. Samantha won the title of Miss California Jr. National Teenager for the 2004/2005 year with her  outstanding academics, leadership, community service and of course, poise and beauty on stage earning top scores. She attended San Dimas High School where she would be a Junior this year and maintained a 3.85 GPA while participating in Varsity Cheer and the J.V. Swim Team. She started her own charitable project “To Mom with Love” at 15 years old.

Initially air-lifted to USC/County Hospital, Samantha spent 4 weeks in ICU and underwent 2 extensive surgeries, one on her left frontal lobe which was exposed at the accident site and the other to repair her upper and lower jaw which was broken in 6 different places. She would spend the next 10 long weeks tolerating therapies and medications designed to “wake her up”.  Although her eyes were open, she had a blank stare and couldn’t follow even simple commands.

 Her prayer warriors continued with daily prayers and support as we leaned heavily on our faith and the medical community to help our precious daughter. On July 22, 2005, she was admitted on a trial basis to Casa Colina, one of the country’s premier rehabilitation facilities. With the skill of this excellent team of doctors and therapists and Samantha’s own healing and sheer determination, she showed steady improvement in her comprehension and physical abilities over the next 3 months in their acute hospital. She began to sit and stand on her own, hold her head up better and respond to her visitors with wonderful hugs and kisses. 

          Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Samantha finally came home October 28, 2005 to begin a rigorous daily program as an out-patient at Casa Colina. Still unable to eat or communicate clearly, she undergoes 5 hours a day of physical, occupational and speech therapies.  She is now using her voice to answer questions and to say “I love you” but still has a loss of motor coordination in her mouth so understanding her is difficult and she is fed through a g-tube.  She is walking around the gym with less assistance than ever before but still requires someone helping her to maintain her balance. Her sweet personality shines through as she inspires many that are witnessing her recovery. Samantha has determination, courage and a faith in God who is blessing everyone’s daily efforts to restore her fully in mind, body and spirit. 

Recovery from brain injury, especially this severe, is a tough and arduous road. Some never come out of the comatose state and yet others awake with only few deficits. Please pray for the thousands of people that suffer brain injury each year. It is an epidemic unfamiliar to most of us yet devastating to those affected. Samantha faces months and months of intense therapy ahead and a lifetime of challenges as a result of this car accident. Yes, last year she faced life or death and life won, but not without significant compromise. 

We send our deepest thanks and eternal gratitude to our family, friends and community for your ongoing love, support and faithful prayers.  God is with us in this journey and we give Him all the glory and gratitude for enabling our daughter to be with us and recovering daily.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.           

January 2006

 
Diana Palumbo M.O.M!

For more info on Samantha please visit her website at http://www.pray4samantha.com

Nicole’s Story

On March 17, 2004, my daughter Nicole, a senior at Foothill High in Tustin, was leaving school to meet a friend.  A lot of students were leaving around the same time.  Nicole was usually picked up, but that day turned out to be our worst nightmare!

 I got a call from her brother that “Nicole was just hit by a car”.  She apparently had almost made it across the street when another student hit her going approximately 40 m.p.h.  Nicole’s head, hit the windshield, was thrown about 20 feet in the air and knocked unconscious.  She was rushed to Western Medical Center, Santa Ana in critical condition where she was in a coma. 

 Nicole had a skull fracture behind her optical nerve and we were told she could be blind in that one eye as well.  Nicole’s brain pressure got to the point where it was uncontrollable and they had to place a intra-cranial drain in her brain to be able to drain off the fluid. 

Nicole remained in a drug induced coma for 3 weeks until her brain pressures stabilized.  There were only “glimpses” of some movement of her body, but you could see that the left side of her body did not respond. 

She would open her eyes, but she would not track with her eyes and she did not recognize anyone.  I knew that all the “control” as a parent was gone.  The ONLY thing that I could rely on was my faith in God, and prayer.  Through this horrendous time, I enlisted all my wonderful friends and family to help pray for Nicole.  I was amazed by the outpouring from people across the world caring for Nicole.

She transferred to St. Jude Hospital, where she continued the work she needed.  The first sign that we got that Nicole was “here” for us, was when we handed her a cell phone, and she entered her brother’s telephone number.  Then, she went into text messaging and wrote “Daniel”, which is her brother’s name.  We were overwhelmed with joy that although Nicole wasn’t tracking with her eyes or talking, that she was definitely with us.

Within the next few days, Nicole started to mouth words, and started tracking with her eyes. Each day was a new day of hope for us.

Nicole had to re-learn to walk and talk again. Her left arm and hand has not fully recovered, nor do the Doctor’s know if it will fully recover.  The brain has to learn another pathway to do all the fine motor skills that she was able to do in the past.  It will be a very long process and road ahead. 

From the time Nicole woke up from her coma, she said all she wanted to do was to graduate from high school.  This was something I never even thought could happen considering the nature and extent of her injuries.  However, Nicole truly is a miracle, miracles still do happen!  On June 16, 2004 Nicole’s dream will come true after all. 

Nicole’s desire is to go to college and study cosmetology and makeup which she has been doing so well.  I keep praying that she gets full recovery back in that left arm, so she will be able to pursue that career. 

This is truly a gift of life, and hope.  I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart that have been committed to praying for her recovery.  She is a walking miracle!

Leila Ross M.O.M!

Zach’s Story

March 12, 2005
Zach was the passenger in an automobile accident involving 5 kids. There were no drugs or alcohol involved, just too many kids in the car, an inexperienced driver, who hadn't met the six month window for transporting passengers yet and a tree.

We were having our wedding celebration, and I called Zach on his cell phone to find out where he was, and the phone was answered by the hospital. Upon arrival we were isolated, and later met with the doctor who told us Zach was "very sick". We had no idea what that meant.  Both of his lungs had collapsed, and he had punctuate holes in them from his ribs, his liver had a grade 5 laceration, his mandible was broken in half, his ribs were fractured as were several of his vertebrae and of course, his diffuse axonal tbi. 

As soon as I saw him, I held his hand and started praying. The first night, I told the nurses he was squeezing my hand they immediately put him in a drug induced coma and paralyzed him.  His lungs were so bad that he had to be on maximum ventilator assistance and even with that his oxygen saturation was still around 70%. Because his lungs were so bad there was huge concern that he was brain dead, or going to be. At one point his oxygen saturation levels dropped from 70 to 40%. No one would look me in the eye. Doctors said that 9 out of 10 people would have been dead at the scene. They started throwing terms like global anoxia and hypoxia around. 

Zach was on a rotorest bed, had 3 chest tubes, was intubated, had a licox monitor and ICP monitor in his head. They said he had every piece of equipment they had in his room. The Licox monitor was a Godsend, it monitored the oxygen level to his brain. With Zach, there was no telling, no predictability, as to when or why his oxygen levels would drop. He stayed dangerously low for weeks, but whenever he would drop to below 20, they would adjust him.  At two weeks they took to the OR for major surgery, they gave him a tracheotomy, repaired his mandible, and gave him a G&J tube. They performed surgery on him every 4 days to change out the wound vac in his stomach. 

As time went by he started to heal. The doctors and nurses started to wean him off the oxygen then the ventilator and the drugs.  I was warned how difficult Rancho Stage 3 was, but couldn't believe it. Zach fought everyone and everything for more than 2 weeks. His memory and attention span were totally gone.

It has been almost 5 months since the accident. He astounded everyone. Every time we see Dr. John Shaver, he looks at me like a proud parent, and in a way, he is -- if it were not for the doctors, nurses and God, Zach would not be alive.

The only way you would know that Zach had this accident was if you saw the scar. I  only notice him running his words together once every couple of weeks now. Zach is back to himself, only more responsible. He started taking guitar lessons. He has finished all six of his 11^th grade classes and received A's and B's and starts his senior year more ambitious than ever. 

Miracles really do happen. And I am a mother of one.

 Kathryn Mejia M.O.M!

Erin’s Story

Erin was my first child, and like many first children, she was extremely bright.  As she grew it became apparent that she was also beautiful and talented.  She had so much potential and so many choices for her future. She was an honor student and a great athlete but was plagued by depression in her teen years.  Her depression led to alcohol and drug abuse and ultimately, a drug overdose.  On May 12, 2001 at the age of 18, she overdosed on the animal tranquilizer, Ketamine.  This drug stopped her breathing which in turn stopped her heart.  Although her boyfriend delivered CPR, and called the paramedics, it took the paramedics 18 minutes and three electrical shocks before her heart began beating again. She was rushed to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach where she was listed in extremely critical condition due to global anoxia. Doctors and nurses were not optimistic.

Erin spent two weeks in intensive care, and then was transferred to Tustin Hospital's Pediatric sub-acute unit.  At Tustin she received wonderful care and therapy, and after nine weeks she was sent to UCI's Acute Rehab unit for 6 weeks.  Her final hospital stay was  a month at Casa Colina's Transitional Living Unit.Erin came home to us on October 10th 2001 with no warning and very little advice or training on how to take care of her.  Fortunately we had received a wealth of information from Tustin Hospital and were able to access numerous resources to help us all cope.

One of the resources that Tustin told us about was Coastline College's Acquired Brain Injury Program.  Erin started this program in January of 2002.  Her teacher was not optimistic either, but Erin has  continued to progress and is currently taking special classes at Saddleback College, and is living semi- independently with a friend of  mine.  My friend works for a place called Vocational Visions, an organization that helps brain impaired adults prepare for employment and/or independent living. They will soon be helping Erin get a job.

Erin will never be that bright and talented daughter that I was so proud of, but we found a positive outlet for our tragedy: One to five times a month Erin is a speaker for various drug education programs throughout Orange County.  She has also traveled to various places in the US to participate in drug education projects.  Her story is compelling and the kids really respond to her.  We believe she has saved many teens and young adults from self destruction by sharing her devastating experience with drug use.

Erin remembers her "prior" life and how most things  were so easy for her. She remembers working, excelling at school, driving, and having lots of friends.  She has none of these things anymore, yet she is more friendly, upbeat and sweet than the "old" Erin was.  We are so proud of her attitude, her strength and her perseverance that gets her through her difficult days.

Maryanne Rose M.O.M!
 

Abbie's Story

Abbie is my fifth child, but first daughter.  After twin boys I thought having a single girl would be a breeze.  I had much to learn about the little spitfire who joined our family on August 23, 2001!!  She was committed to keeping up with her big brothers, if only to keep them in line.  She had a vocabulary, agility, imagination, and personality far beyond her years.  On May 3, 2004 while in the midst of our normal homeschooling day, some friends surprised us with an unannounced visit.  While giving a home tour and fetching water, I got that heart-stopping “Where’s Abbie” feeling.  She was floating in our pool.  My two friends and I gave Abbie CPR while the kids went out front to flag down the ambulance.  Abbie did not have a steady pulse for 30 minutes.  We were warned she would not live through that night, but that if she did, she would remain vent-dependent and totally unaware.

We have traveled a long road since then, and are learning patience, perseverance, and above all, the mercies and lovingkindness of the Lord.  Cognitively Abbie is doing very well and is very aware, even bossy!  Her motor skills are coming back more slowly, but new therapies we’ve recently added are giving us great results, and we are more hopeful than ever.

The night of Abbie’s accident, as our friends and loved ones gathered outside the PICU, all I could keep saying was, “She will be a walking testimony!”  I still believe that.

Tiffany Vara M.O.M!

For more info on Abbie please visit her website at: www.prayforabby.com

On the evening of March 12, 2005, I was awakened by a telephone call. The mother of my son’s girlfriend was calling to inform me that our children had been in a car accident. Five teenagers were on their way to Denny’s: my son Edward, his girlfriend, and three other friends.

From the police report, the driver apparently had lost control of the car causing it to spin out, cross two lanes, hit a large tree in the center median and ended up on the opposite side of the road, against the direction of traffic.

Two of the four teenager passengers were severely injured. One of those teenagers is my son, Edward. While still at the scene of the accident he was able to talk but moments later lapsed into a coma.

It was fortunate that competent EMTs were on the scene in a very short time and got Edward to one of the better brain trauma treatment facilities in Southern California within a few minutes.

Edward sustained a 4 cm x 6 cm blood clot in the frontal left portion of the brain. He needed a ventilator to assist his breathing and his Glasco Coma score was 5 out of the normal 15. He was in serious trouble and life saving emergency brain surgerywas needed.

He underwent a craniotomy and ventriculostomy. Licox monitor was placed in his brain to measure the tissue vitality and oxygen profusion. An intracranial pressure monitor (ICP) was also placed in his brain to monitor the inner cranial swelling.

Edward’s recovery was a true miracle in every sense of the word. On March 20, my son opened his eyes. He appeared very frightened and unfamiliar with his surroundings. The following day he was able to answer a question with a nod of his head.

Edward had to relearn to swallow, talk, walk, feed himself, and shower. He had a difficult time with balance and required assistance standing and walking.

Edward became increasingly aware of his injuries. He was and still is determined to regain his life to the fullest capacity. He’s willing to acquire a "new" life, so to speak, but, a full one.

He often reminds his friends that "life is too short, don’t take unnecessary risks". "Follow the rules that protect us". He knows firsthand now, the consequences for ignoring them.

Edward was released from the hospital on April 6. He returned 4 days a week for acute rehabilitation over the next 3 mos. It is a little over six months since the accident. Edward is still recovering. He’s decided that his new birthday is March 12, 2005 because that is when his life as the person he is today, emerged. As he puts it, the Edward we knew before, died that evening and better one is here today. He believes that one day he’ll look back on this as, the best thing that ever happened to him.

His vocabulary recall has been a little slow, making school work more difficult. His brain is still healing and right now has less control over his emotions than before the accident. He knows he’s responsible for his recovery, and that there’s also help available. So many people love him and offer help and encouragement. "Something wonderful and meaningful is to come, why else would he have survived something as devastating as this". He will make good come of this accident. And I believe he already has.

On behalf of Edward Clark, make every moment count!

Rachelle Meyers, M.O.M!

Paul’s Story 

Paul is 41 years old, a graduate of USC Dental School. He practiced dentistry in the Orange County area after his graduation. He has always been a very caring and giving person.

On Feb. 5^th,2002 3 men entered Paul’s car at a gas station in Santa Ana, CA, drove him at gun point to Riverside Community College, to an overflow campus  parking lot. Forced him down a ravine, robbed, and shot him in the left side of his head, stole his car and left him to die. Some how (God’s miracle) Paul was able to crawl up the ravine to the parking lot, a girl (God’s angel) turning her car around spotted him and called 911(thank God for cell phones). Paul was conscious when the police arrived and was able to tell them who he was and where he lived. On the evening of Feb 6^th we received the phone call in Illinois (where we lived). We arrived at Riverside Community Hospital the evening of the 7^th. Paul was transferred to Mission Hospital Trauma Center the evening of Feb. 8^th(our anniversary). He underwent immediate brain surgery for the removal of his right and left frontal brain lobes and his left eye. He spent the next 3 months in Mission Hospital (in ICU,3^rd floor, and acute rehab). He was transferred to the Casa Colinas Transitional Living unit where he remained for the next four months (I learned to drive the CA freeways real fast, not bad for an IL country girl). In Oct. of 2002 he enrolled at Coastline Community College TBI Special Programs. He will finish there at the end of this year., they are working with him to plan his future. Will it be dentistry??

To meet Paul you would not know this happened to him unless you were told. He is still a very caring and giving person. You may not know if he is teasing or serious sometimes, but he has made giant steps on the road to recovery (only God knows how far he will go).

Sandy Janosik, M.O.M!

Brett’s Story

June 11, 1997,3:00am,the PICU doors open. Out comes three somber looking Providers. Mark Kay Bader, Dr. Gary Goodman & Dr. John Shaver. I’m lying on the floor in a fetal position under the set of payphones. My husband ,David, is sitting on the floor next to me. I remember saying “Please tell me he’s still alive”. He was.

Brett Michael Santos ,age 24, was the lucky recipient of the first TBI protocol treatment at CHOC in Mission Viejo. This new protocol was brought to Mission Hospital by our ‘angel’ Mary Kay Bader. Typically TBI outcomes were not optimistic prior to this new protocol. Brett’s outcome was a surprise and triumph to the PICU team.

I received a call from a woman at 4:30pm on June 11^th  1997. She said “ I’m holding your son in my arms, he was in a skateboard accident and he is unconscious”. I met the ambulance at the hospital as Brett was removed from the back. He was combative but did know his name. I always held onto the thought that he could answer some questions at the time of his induced coma. I felt that he would come out of it ok if he went in aware. Later I was to learn from Mary Kay that meant nothing…Oh, well, it kept me hopeful for 12 days.

He underwent surgery by Dr. Sylvian Palmer .Brett was in coma for 12 days. He sustained a frontal & occipital brain injuries, fractures, hematomas and severe brain swelling. From there he underwent  physical therapy, occupational therapy & rehabilitation for 6 weeks. Brett developed menegitis while in rehab and was transferred back up to PICU for 1 week. He then began an outpatient program with the Mission Hospital Rehab unit.

Brett returned to school on September 3^rd in a reduced schedule. He was assigned a ‘buddy’ to guide him to class. Brett started training again with the swim & waterpolo team. His teammates assisted him with daily activites. & he regained his strength.

Up to seven years out we were still seeing improvement in Brett. He attends Saddleback College and has just recently started a position in selling loans. Brett has spoken to schools, clubs, scouts and anyone who will listens to his ‘Helmet Safety’ talk. At last count he has spoken to over 3000 individuals. He has won many awards and citations but none so rewarding at the kids that come up to him and say “ I will always wear a helmet’.

Many people ask me “How could you survive that? You were so brave.” It’s not bravery that got me through, it was faith, hope, the love of family, caring of friends, and the integrity of the Mission Staff. May God bless them all.

They that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Isaiah 40:31

Loreen Santos, M.O.M!

Cade's Story

Cade turned 13 years old on February 6th, 2005....Super Bowl Sunday, actually. The day began with his friends "kidnapping" him and taking him to Ruby's for breakfast. His friends hung around the house that day, enjoying pizza and hanging out in the garage. That night, Cade enjoyed laying in bed fiddling with his new stereo and remote control he got for his birthday. Little did we know that would be a long time before Cade would see his home or sleep in his bed again.

Off to Ensign Jr. High on Monday morning for a typical day in 7th grade. I picked him up after school and then headed to the High School to pick up his sister, McKenzie and her friend. We decided to go to Carl's Jr. for food. As I turned left on the turn arrow crossing Newport Blvd., a man ran the red light and broadsided our car, with the full force of the impact on Cade's door. McKenzie and her friend crawled out the back, I got a mild concussion and Cade hit his head suffering a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury.

Cade was rushed to Western Medical Center where his fractured skull was removed. He was placed in an drug induced coma where he lay for 14 days. He was put on a ventilator for breathing and his doctors said he was extremely critical and might not live the night. We prayed and prayed. Family and friends came from all over, offering prayers, love and support. After 14 days in a coma, he was removed from the ventilator and could breath on his own. Praise God! On March 1st, we decided to move Cade to CHOC Hospital in Mission Viejo. He spent a month there, slowing regaining consciousness. The doctors worked hard to stabilize him, and get him adjusted to different medicines. On April 1st, Cade was well enough to be released to a rehabilitation facility, but within 2 weeks, he developed hydrocephalus, which is excess spinal fluid on the brain, and a permanent shunt was inserted to drain the excess fluid. Numerous complications arose and Cade stayed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at CHOC from June 15 through September 23, 2005. He underwent several brain surgeries and fought back many life-threatening complications. He was then moved to the Neuro unit on the 5th floor where he remained until January 9, 2006.

Cade was accepted to Casa Colina, an excellent brain injury rehabilitation hospital in Pomona. Still in a minimally conscious state, the
doctors at Casa Colina administered many different medicines to "wake up" his brain and he was started on physical, occupational and speech therapy. His progress was slow and hindered by continued medical setbacks. On May 26, 2006, after 15 long months in the hospital, Cade was discharged to home. He still has miles to go as he re-learns the things we take for granted, like how to swallow, how to speak, and of course, how to develop muscle control and strength to ultimately sit, stand and walk again on his own.

During this past year and a half, Cade has shown us his tremendous inner strength and will to get better. He has surprised many with
his ability to come back from his medical complications. Cade has touched the hearts of many doctors, nurses, staff, and even strangers, with his fighting spirit. We believe that even though he has a long journey ahead of him, his spirit and fight will get him through it, with God by his side. Every day, Cade is more and more aware of his surroundings, gaining more head and trunk control and is working on making simple sounds to communicate his needs.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Cade's recovery and for our family's strength during this incredible journey. We are leaning
on our faith and trust in God and His plan for our family. Please continue to pray for Cade's healing, strength and recovery. We send our
deepest thanks and eternal gratitude to our family, friends and community for your on-going love, support and faithful prayers.

Lisa Feitler, M.O.M!

For more info on Cade please visit his website at: www.prayforcade.bravehost.com