Brooke Dahman, a 2015 graduate of Saginaw High School, is fighting to recover after a traumatic all-terrain vehicle crash.
On July 12, Dahman’s 18th birthday, she was a passenger on an ATV and was thrown from the vehicle when it collided with another while spending time with family in Missouri.
Dahman suffered severe injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, where she is currently in the ICU.
Right now, she is paralyzed from the waist down, according to family.
“We don’t know at this point if she’ll be able to walk again, like I said, we believe in miracles. We’re just praying for the best,” said Bobby Gee, Dahman’s uncle.
“She’s doing very good right now, she’s in really great spirits,” Gee said. “Thanks to the Lord that she’s here and she knows everything that’s going on, so she’s definitely, from the stuff she’s been through, she’s very strong-minded and she knows that she’ll overcome this, one way or another, she’ll overcome this.”
A family friend has created a GoFundMe account to accept donations for Dahman’s care, including the cost to transport her back to North Texas where she’ll be placed in an in-patient rehabilitation facility for specialized spine care.
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“The family does not have health insurance, so the bills are piling up pretty quickly,” Smith said. “Not to mention, this whole transportation issue – we want to be able to get her back as quickly as possible so more family members here can pitch in and help out and her mother can get back to work.”
Smith says she wants to ensure Dahman has everything she needs to continue to pursue her dreams.
“Brooke is an amazing, amazing young woman,” said Suzanne Smith, a close family friend. “She is a whole-hearted Christian, she’s involved in her church, she’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever known, she’s incredibly responsible. She’s just all around a good kid.”
Dahman was set to begin classes at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall in the fall, and she planned to move in and attend ‘Tiger Camp’ on August 16.
Her mother, Brea Crutsinger, says she likely won’t start in the fall, but maybe in the spring.
