Hannah Reaches Exciting Milestones in Her Physical Therapy

Despite all Hannah has been through in recent months, it’s rare to see her roaming about the hospital without seeing her radiant smile.

In early fall of last year, freshman Hannah and her mom were driving to a regular Friday night high school football game with three of her friends, when they were tragically struck by a drunken driver. The accident took the life of two of her friends, but thankfully, Hannah survived. In the months since, Hannah has undergone a daunting recovery, but has never lost hope, her sense of humor or her determination to heal.

“My goal of the day, every day, is to make someone laugh,” Hannah said. “My therapists are like family. They’re helping me reach my goals.” Hannah, who primarily uses a wheelchair while in therapy, credited the team with recently helping her accomplish a huge goal. She successfully walked for over an hour during an outing at Target alongside her therapists. Hannah’s mom, Lacy, said the goal of the outing was to encourage Hannah to walk with the assistance of a shopping cart.

“They gave her a small shopping list and some money and encouraged her to walk around the store and find the items,” Lacy said. It was an exciting milestone after months of physical therapy and multiple surgeries, and Hannah and her mom couldn’t be happier. Since coming to Shriners Children’s Texas in December, Hannah has had several surgeries on her ankle, and other procedures to address multiple broken bones and liver, kidney and spleen damage. So, reaching this goal has special meaning.

“It’s been amazing,” Lacy said of their experience with Shriners Children's. Her mom said she has appreciated seeing Hannah meet other kids at the hospital and watching them cheer each other on during therapy. “Hannah is very adventurous and outgoing,” Lacy said. “She loves to talk, and loves meeting new people.” Although Hannah made the softball team at her school before the accident, she still enjoys visiting with her teammates and rooting for them on the sidelines.

Hannah is also especially excited about becoming the hospital’s newest Patient Ambassador. She wants to share her story and hopes that her experience can help inspire others.