On September 7, 2019, 22-year-old Emily Owen was walking her dog on their usual evening route through her small-town college neighborhood. With just one semester left before graduation, Emily’s life halted in an instant when she was struck by a car. Her dog, Teddy, passed away at the scene, while Emily fell into a near-coma and was rushed to the hospital. She sustained multiple injuries, including multiple hematomas and a diffuse axonal injury – a severe type of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
After spending months in the ICU, long-term acute care and a skilled nursing facility, Emily was admitted to the Day Treatment program at Centre for Neuro Skills’ Los Angeles clinic in March 2020. The accident left Emily in a wheelchair with weakness in her right arm and hand in addition to cognitive deficits that impacted her memory and reading.
Just one week into her post-acute therapy, the global COVID-19 pandemic shut down the clinic. Emily was no longer able to receive in-person therapy, but telehealth offered a unique approach to rehabilitation at home and a renewed sense of hope for Emily.
“My therapists were creative and thought outside of the box. They used different tools and areas of my aunt’s house as part of my therapy,” said Emily.
A few months later, Emily returned to in-person therapy at CNS, where she underwent more intensive rehabilitation.
“Their equipment was essential to my recovery. They took me from 0 to 100!” says Emily.
Within six months, Emily relearned how to walk independently through physical therapy, strengthened her right hand to begin writing again, and passed all levels of the cognition module. Emily’s therapists also addressed several other issues, including her vision, balance, and memory.
“As we began to see results, we started to learn that repetition and consistency were the most effective,” said Diana, Emily’s aunt, who had been by Emily’s side from the very beginning.
At the beginning of 2021, Emily transitioned to outpatient care at CNS and continued working with her therapists to rebuild her life skills until she was discharged in December 2021. Two years later, Emily moved into her own apartment – living, cooking, and walking her new dog independently.
Throughout her recovery, Emily wrote down her experiences. This year, Emily celebrates her 5-year anniversary post-injury by becoming a published author and releasing her first book, “The Best of the Worst: My True Story of Surviving and Thriving After a Traumatic Brain Injury.” She hopes to spread awareness and education to other young TBI survivors and is currently writing a children’s book.
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