In December 2005, sisters Bethany and Hannah and a friend left a movie with their church youth group and headed to a bonfire at the friend’s home. The roads were slippery, and Bethany, who was driving, likely swerved to miss a pothole. She lost control of the car, spinning into the path of an oncoming pickup truck, which slammed into the right side of the car.
“We were at dinner,” recalls Sharon, the girls’ mother. “We tried calling Bethany’s cell phone and were concerned when she didn’t pick up. We headed home and got the phone call that every parent fears, telling us that our girls had been in an extremely severe car accident and that both were in critical condition.”
At the hospital, Hannah died as a result of her injuries. Their friend was airlifted to a local hospital. Bethany suffered severe head and facial trauma. “Bethany’s neurosurgeon later told us that the face is the air bag of the brain,” says Sharon. “Indeed, her face protected her brain, but her skull was so crushed and her face and jaw so broken that emergency personnel were unable to intubate her.”
Bethany was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. The next day, she underwent a 15-hour, multispecialty surgery with a Gillette team. “They skillfully and miraculously put her back together,” Sharon says.
Bethany spent two and a half months undergoing intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy at Gillette. She returned home in February 2006. In August, she had additional craniofacial surgery. On the one-year anniversary of the accident, Bethany and her family returned to Gillette to say thank you to the Gillette team. The family also wrote notes to Gillette staff, sharing their heartfelt appreciation.
“Our daughter’s life and livelihood were preserved by the excellent care we received at Gillette. We look at her today and are amazed by how far she has come,” says Sharon. “She is continuing to progress on her long road to recovery. Her life truly is a gift to us!”
<< Back to Meet the Kids
