Angie Lopez’s family says it’s been her life-long dream to pursue a career in physical therapy. She had just graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha with her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and applied to doctorate of physical therapy programs when an accident in November changed her plans.
Angie was crossing the street when she was hit by a motorcyclist, leaving her with several broken bones and severe brain trauma. She spent a month in the intensive care unit at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, where doctors were unsure what the future would hold.
“Different professionals told us that we need to mentally prepare ourselves for the quality of life she would have,” Alex Lopez, Angie’s brother, said. “48 hours after they lifted her sedation, she wasn’t reacting and she wasn’t moving. They told us it didn’t look good.” Then, a glimmer of hope. Angie began moving her hand. Each day, she had a little more movement and was more alert. As she got stronger, her MercyOne care team fell in love with her smile and her spunky attitude. She was able to transfer to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ specialized brain injury program, where her resilience only continued to grow.
“When I first met Angie, she was a little hesitant and nervous to be starting the therapy process,” Abby McClure, MOT, OTR/L, CBIS, an occupational therapist, said. “She didn’t really know what to do or where to go. She had been processing a lot of everything that happened and then being here, so it took a little bit for her to warm up to the idea.”
McClure said she built up trust and a rapport with Angie and her family with jokes and bantering. Caregiver training that allowed Angie’s mom, Lily, to help with her daily self-cares, created a sense of independence for both mom and daughter. She could move around her room, shower and dress safely without the supervision of a therapist.
Throughout the month she spent at Madonna, Angie saw incredible gains. With her mom by her side every step of the way, she relearned how to walk and worked diligently on her aphasia, a language disorder that makes it difficult to comprehend and use language to communicate. Daily physical, occupational and speech therapies pushed her, and Angie had internal drive as well.
“Each person’s experience and recovery from aphasia is as different and as unique as they are,” Elizabeth Busteed, MS CCC-SLP, a Madonna speech-language pathologist, said. “For her, we focused a lot on reading and word finding and used some therapy techniques that are designed specifically for that. A lot of it was really functional and related to things that motivate and interest her, and things she needs to be able to do as a young adult and someone looking to go back to school.”
Busteed says she was impressed with Angie’s work ethic and desire to get better.
“Angie improved her language skills, but what was really great to see with her is how she increased her confidence and her desire to work on things that were initially challenging or upsetting for her,” Busteed said. “We got to a point where she would request to work on things once I got to her room, which really helped to make therapy meaningful for her and related to things that she enjoys. By the end, she was using more descriptive language and starting to recognize her own errors.”
Her brother credits her interest in the medical field with a lot of Angie’s success.
“I kept telling my mom, I think it was her background in physical therapy that she was telling herself she needed to start moving,” Alex said. “She knew what she needed to do, and she knew she had to work twice as hard if she wanted to get home.”
A self-described shopaholic, Angie got a chance to put all the skills she learned in therapy to the test with an outing to her favorite store, Lululemon.
“Once she was able to show she could handle more extensive therapy, we got her out into the community to see how she could handle going back to a store,” McClure said. “Interacting with the clerks and handling money and just being in a crowded environment, I wanted to see how she would handle the sensory regulation, her balance and her overall safety awareness.”
McClure said the outing also created a sense of confidence that a return to hobbies and favorite activities is possible.
“Everyone at her favorite store was excited to meet her and get a better understanding of what she was going through and why we were doing therapy out in the community,” McClure said. “It seemed like it was a very big moment, not only for Angie but also [for] her mom to see her get back into her daily life and back to what she loves to do. She just lit up.”
As she continues her recovery journey, Angie is already looking ahead to the future. She wants to pay it forward to other patients with brain injuries by returning to Madonna to work once she’s earned her degree.
“I asked the doctor if he could write me a letter of recommendation for here,” Angie said.
“It was awesome to see that everything we had done with her was really hitting home and reiterating to her why she applied to a physical therapy doctorate program,” McClure said. “I think it would be really cool to see her come back here to help others the way she was helped. It would be a really cool full-circle moment for her.”
Angie and her family hope sharing her story will inspire others who walk the brain injury recovery journey.
“I’m happy for what the future holds and I’m happy to be able to have the privilege of telling the story to other people, of saying, ‘Miracles do exist,’ and she’s a walking miracle,” Alex said. “For a while, I thought I lost my baby sister, but through prayer and everyone who has helped her along the way, she’s here. She’s coming home.”