Holding on to Hope After a Traumatic Brain Injury 

On a seemingly normal evening in February 2023, 5-year-old Alicia and her mother, Adriana, ventured out to a nearby grocery store for some cereal. In a matter of minutes, their lives were forever changed by a devastating car crash. 

“I don’t like to drive at night,” Adriana says. “But Alicia had been so good that day and really wanted cereal. We never made it to the store.” 

During the drive, Adriana was at a light, about to make a left turn, when a Jeep T-boned her Hyundai Accent. The impact could have been deadly, but luckily, Alicia’s car seat was in the middle of the back seat. 

“I just remember seeing her unconscious. It was so scary because she looked so lifeless,” Adriana says. “And then the car seat was stuck. I couldn’t unbuckle her, and my car door wouldn’t open, and neither would hers.” 

A bystander came to their aid and helped them out of the vehicle. Shortly after, paramedics arrived to transport both Adriana and an unconscious Alicia to Phoenix Children’s.  

Facing a life-changing trauma 

At Phoenix Children’s emergency department, staff immediately started treating Alicia, who had sustained a traumatic brain injury in the crash, and a bleeding Adriana, who had a broken hand and was about to faint. 

“They took me to another room and that’s when they put me in a neck brace,” Adriana says.  While Adriana was transferred to another hospital where she underwent surgery on her broken hand, Alicia’s care team put her into an induced coma to save her life. Although very worried for her daughter, Adriana says Alicia’s care team comforted her with constant updates every step of the way. 

There was also a staff member in the emergency department that night whom Adriana will always remember, even though she didn’t learn her name. “Everyone was around Alicia, and I saw scissors and them cutting her clothes. There was this lady. I will never forget. She was just there comforting Alicia. She kept touching her head, and I was so thankful to her. I never saw her again.” 

Finding comfort and hope after uncertainty 

Adriana returned to Alicia’s side as soon as she could, only to face much uncertainty. When Alicia’s doctors put her into an induced coma, they told Adriana there was no guarantee she would come out of it. 

“I feel like those were the darkest moments because she had all these tubes, and the staff couldn’t ever control her heart rate. It was always so high,” Adriana says.  

Alicia eventually had to undergo invasive brain surgery, and Adriana’s prayers were answered when Alicia finally opened her eyes. She was released from the hospital this past April—only a few days before her sixth birthday.  

But Alicia’s treatment was far from over. Adriana was told Alicia would probably never talk or walk again, and she would have to eat through a feeding tube. She would likely not be able to move her right side at all. However, Adriana knew better. She had faith in God and in her daughter. 

And when Alicia started her outpatient therapies, Alicia’s physical and occupational therapists helped solidify that faith. They have been fighting for Alicia since day one and at every visit so she can beat the odds.  

How philanthropy helped change the outcome 

In addition to the world-class care Alicia and her family have received, programs like Spiritual Care, Child Life, Art Therapy and Animal-Assisted Therapy have brought hope and comfort during Alicia’s journey. They are among 170+ programs and services funded by philanthropy. 

Checkers, one of Phoenix Children’s two full-time facility dogs, has offered paws of comfort to both Alicia and Adriana during challenging procedures and appointments. Additionally, the chaplains with Spiritual Care have been a great support, offering a shoulder to cry on and someone to pray with or over Alicia.  Child Life has also made coping with a new reality much more bearable. These programs, along with the team by her side, have helped Alicia reach amazing milestones. 

“She's gotten a lot better,” Adriana says. “We weren’t even outpatient yet by the time she started eating. She’s talking. She’s saying sentences, some words. She’s also starting to walk with help. She’s starting to take steps on her own. They said she would never do these things again, but here she is.”