Since My Accident
On Friday, March 12, eleven-year old Amanda Mohler was injured in a fall. Amanda's father, Greg, was working on the roof, in the beginning stages of adding two new dormers. During the day, Amanda would occasionally climb up the ladder onto the roof and join her father to check on his progress.
The accident occurred at about 5:00 pm. Greg is unclear of the exact cause of her fall. She was standing at the bottom corner of the roof when she either stepped backwards or slipped on loose shingle-gravel. She fell approximately 20 feet. It seems that she may have hit the ladder on the way down, which could have slowed her fall. She landed on the pavement of the driveway on the left side of her head, fracturing her skull.
Amanda was rushed to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, here in Winston, and she was admitted to the Pediatric ICU at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital. She was immediately placed into a medically-induced coma, to keep her brain functioning at its lowest level, and was put on life-support. A metal spike was inserted through her skull and into her brain to monitor the pressure of the brain within her skull. Her head was enormously swollen.
When the doctors began to bring Amanda out of the coma, to prepare her for surgery, she surprised everyone by making very deliberate movements! It was obvious that this little girl was not done fighting, yet!
Thus began Amanda’s incredible journey towards recovery. She remained in the ICU for 26 days, and it was still “touch-and-go” for quite a while. She was put back into the coma state and back on life support. Critical issues at this time were brain swelling, escalating blood pressure, and a persistent fever.
Eventually, the doctors began to slowly bring her out of the drug-induced coma. Amanda’s family was told that it could be weeks or months before any sign of movement or brain activity might be observed. Additionally, based on CT scan results, they were told she would certainly never use her right arm again.
The next day Amanda squeezed her mother’s hand! Soon, she was moving her arms and legs! Not only that, she began to move her right arm and leg!
Little by little, Amanda’s brain swelling subsided and she was weaned off of the coma medications. The doctors began to gradually decrease the level of functional life supports. Amanda began breathing oxygen through a trach and being fed through a G-tube. On April 7th, she left the ICU and was put in an intermediate-care ward at Brenner’s. She continued to make steady progress, towards becoming “medically stable,” and on April 22nd she was moved down to Charlotte’s Institute of Rehabilitation (CIR).
While at CIR, Amanda received “stimulation therapy”—working daily with speech, occupational and physical therapists. She was given a specially-designed wheelchair that enabled her to be taken for walks outdoors. She began to show small signs of responsiveness, her eyes began to track together in a more focused manner, and she was weaned off of the trach and resumed breathing entirely on her own!
On June 2nd, Amanda was discharged from CIR. She had never achieved the degree of alertness needed for the therapists there to be their most productive. She returned to Winston-Salem and now resides at her mother’s house, which has been outfitted with ramps, a hospital bed, and therapy table. The therapists come out to the house, a few days a week, to work with Amanda. She is considered to be medically stable.
Since coming home, the posturing/storming behavior that had begun at the hospital has increased dramatically. Amanda’s body is pulled and twisted—as her muscles spasm—repeatedly through the day. This is causing her body to become unaligned, and it makes stretching during therapy sessions very difficult. It also disrupts her sleeping and feeding. Presently, this is the issue of greatest concern and the doctors are exploring medication solutions.
Throughout this journey, Amanda and her family have benefited from the expertise and care of excellent physicians and nurses. They have been blessed by an astonishing amount of support from Amanda’s school (CBDS), Calvary Baptist Church, friends, family, and an amazing number of strangers! They have received prayers and messages of encouragement from people far and wide. There are no words that can express just how much this has meant to Amanda and her family.
Thank you for your caring interest and support.
