On Feb. 24, 2015, 10-year-old Mya was involved in a serious car crash on her way home from school. The fourth grader was a passenger in a car that was rear-ended by a semi truck. Mya sustained a traumatic brain injury from the violent impact and was life-flighted to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri. She spent two months in a coma and on a ventilator in the intensive care unit before transferring to Madonna. Mya’s mother Amber and her two siblings, moved to Lincoln to provide daily support during her recovery.
When Mya began the intense pediatric Rehabilitation Day Program, she could barely sit up in her wheelchair. Starting with baby steps, like swallowing, was hard, but Mya never gave up. “Even on the tough days, Mya managed to smile and keep pushing on,” said Kristen Miles, a RN in outpatient programs. The young Kansan reached a significant milestone the day she ate her favorite oriental cuisine, orange chicken, from Panda Express.
As Mya recovered her voice and cognition, her fun-loving personality resurfaced, too. Teachers in Madonna’s Kit Scott Therapeutic Learning Center kept her on track with her studies. Her young brain rewired through repetitive therapies, including aquatic therapy, bowling in rec therapy and specialized technology like the VisiPitch. Mya’s voice progressed from whispering a couple words to holding a conversation. Today, Mya is a curious 12-year-old who loves school, swimming and riding horses. Most of all, Mya just enjoys being a kid again.
