A Lacombe woman is documenting her recovery on YouTube after a collision at uncontrolled intersection east of Lacombe left her without the function of the right side of her body.
Two years ago Amanda Burt was involved in a collision so serious it put her in the hospital for 13 months.
Burt, who was 16 at the time, was driving through an uncontrolled intersection east of Lacombe when her car was T-boned by a three-quarter ton pickup. The force of the impact was so much that Burt’s car landed 150 feet from the collision.
Despite no broken bones, Burt had a major brain injury that caused her to lose the function of the right side of her body. She was in a coma for 10 days.
Burt, who is now 19, said recovery continues to be a big part of her life.
She has started to document her journey through a series of videos and a search on YouTube of ‘Amanda Burt’ brings up those videos. A recent upload has garnered more than 4,000 views.
“I probably lost about a year before the accident and about a year after,” said Burt.
“I know I went to grad but I can’t picture any of the grad things.”
Burt’s attitude has been one of ‘can-do’ since she started recovery. Her parents followed her lead and rather than put up road blocks to her recovery, the family’s focus has been one of ‘onward and upward.’
Each step to Amanda’s recovery has been filled with small, yet significant improvements.
She credits the work of specialists at the Halvar Johnson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka. “I owe them everything because without them I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” said Burt.
In the first few months of recovery, Burt was told that in order for her to be able to eat on her own, doctors wanted her to speak. So that’s what she did, said Nicole. At first in little whispers and then more.
Another milestone for Amanda came when she had struggles with her left hand. Amanda’s left arm had tremors that made it difficult to function but her right side didn’t move. Nicole said Amanda made a conscious effort to move her right arm.
Before the collision, Burt played with the Lacoka Minor Hockey league and part of her recovery is attributed to her athletic strength but also to her young age.
Specialists have told the family that with these milestones, the brain is creating new neural pathways.
Burt’s dream is to also run a marathon and to start a fundraising run for STARS.
“They basically saved my life and I kind of feel like I owe them a lot.”