Six months ago it was a day Brody Blakely’s parents could only pray he would live to see: his 19th birthday.
Last August Blakely’s mother, Michelle Sallee, found herself rushing to the hospital after receiving a call that her son had been in a horrific car crash.
“It was horrible. It was horrible. No mom ever wants to hear their son has been in a car accident and may not make it through the night,” Sallee said.
While driving to a friend’s house, Blakely, who lives in Arlington, lost control of his car somehow and slammed it into a gas meter and then a pole, which split the car in two. When paramedics arrived the front part of the car was so crumpled, at first they didn’t spot Blakely inside the vehicle.
Blakely was rushed to the hospital with broken bones and severe swelling in his brain.
“They didn’t give him 24 hours,” said his father, Randy Blakely.
“When things got bad, we prayed. God, give me a sign. Show me something to let me know you’re in this,” said Sallee.
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Somehow Blakely made it through the night and continued to make small progress every day. Nearly four months later, he was released from the hospital.
“He’s able to walk a little better every day on his own without help. His hunger is back,” said his father.
“My shoulder, I had a dislocated shoulder and it still brings out pain,” Blakely said. “So I’m like well, it will go away one day.”
Blakely’s father said his son’s long-term memory is for the most part intact. But his short term is significantly lacking.
“He’ll literally, about every 15 minutes, have no idea,” said Randy Blakely, explaining that his son will often forget where he is, why he’s there or what he’s doing
But he said Blakely’s spirits are always up and he remembers nearly all of his family members and friends he made before the crash
“It’s a new day every day and to some degree that’s a good thing.
Sallee said doctors continue to be optimistic about her son’s recovery and his short-term memory returning.
She said the biggest gift of all is her son is still alive.
“It’s wonderful, because this day could be totally different for us. We could be on the other end and not celebrating today. We could be in mourning, it could be a not happy day. But it is. It’s a day of celebration of his life and how far he’s come,” she said.
Sallee said it gives the word ‘birthday’ and entirely new meaning for her family.
