Ashley’s 3 year anniversary of her brain bleed was May 7th of 2023. Ashley’s recovery seems to be unique because she still making significant progress three years out from her brain injury. We found out last year that Baylor is using her as a case study at Baylor Dallas. I’m assuming it’s because she has far surpassed the time and hours most patients spend in therapy and had broken through all of the preconceived notions about recovery for brain injury patients. Never should the medical community tell a brain injury survivor that most improvements are made in the first 6 months and after 1 year improvements are very hard to come by because Ashley has proved that theory to not be true in her case. Thankfully, Ashley had wonderful therapist and some doctors along the way that didn’t set limitations for her and were very encouraging about the possibilities of recovery.
Ashley started back to Texas A&M in January 2023 in the bio and agricultural engineering program. She just wrapped up her summer semester recently and has been very successful in her return to school. She recently added a Horticulture minor which will extend her time at school by a few semesters. School resumed on Monday.
Today was a huge day for Ashley as she marked off a major item on her goals to achieve. Today Ashley passed her driver’s test. Initially, she’ll have a provisional license where, unless she has someone 21 or older with her, she can only drive on roads with speed limits of 45 or less. For now she must drive in a vehicle with hand controls. This will allow her to get anywhere in College Station and Bryan, just not using the freeway. We’re so excited she was able to pass her test the first time. Ashley worked hard to reach this goal. For individuals with a brain injury, they recommend extended periods of driving each day for the brain to relearn. Ashley spent a month or longer driving for 5 to 7 hours a day several times a week. The process was exhausting to her, it would’ve been exhausting to me, but she pushed through and was successful in achieving her goal. We are so proud of her!
Ashley started a new program, Project Walk, in Houston last month. The program is already making a big difference. We see big improvements in balance and she’s taking a few steps on her own. I see walking as the one of the next big goals Ashley will be working on this year.
Our family attended the Hope Heals Camp recently in Alabama. It’s a wonderful camp designed for families who have an individual in their family that’s disabled. The camp promotes a place for healing, inspiration, and bonding with other families facing similar challenges. The founder promotes the theme “Living your best hardest life” which is such an accurate theme for brain injury survivors and their families. This camp is highly recommended for any families who have a disabled family member, especially a child. We left the camp feeling recharged, inspired, and grateful. We also met many wonderful families, including 2 families from Bryan/College Station.
That’s a wrap on the update. I apologize for not making posts more frequently, but we seem to be living life in the fast lane these days and there’s never enough time.
