Alicia Pippin making miraculous recovery
They said she wouldn't live. Then, as she lay in a comatose state, they said she never would come out of it.
When to their surprise she did wake up, they said she would be incapacitated for life.
But Alicia Pippin's mother, Sherri Sells, didn't accept the doctors' prognoses. Through her tender, loving care, Alicia, her only child, is making what her doctors and therapists call a "miraculous" recovery.
The 15-year-old teenager was severely injured Oct. 9 in a roll-over accident on 170th Street as she was returning home from school. She lives seven miles southeast of Marion on Bluestem Road.
John Snelling witnessed the accident and immediately called 911. EMS personnel arrived quickly on the scene. Alicia was taken to St. Luke Hospital and immediately air-lifted to Wesley Medical Center.
"I have to commend the Marion County ambulance service for their quick response," Sherri said. She said it may have made the difference in Alicia's recovery.
Alicia sustained numerous head injuries including a broken jaw, facial fractures, and severe brain trauma. Sherri said every part of Alicia's brain was damaged, especially the brain stem.
Although Alicia was not expected to live, she clung tenaciously to life. She was in a coma for three months.
Sherri said Alicia was responsive to her from day one, giving a slight squeeze of the hand, but she would not respond to doctors and nurses.
On Nov. 7, Alicia was transferred to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Sherri stayed by her side, praying, constantly talking to her, bathing her, and doing other things to help the nurses take care of her.
Doctors and others tried to persuade Sherri to accept the fact that Alicia would never come out of her coma or be able to function on her own. But she refused to give up.
The first sign of new life came when Alicia briefly opened her eyes half-way. Sherri was thrilled and immediately informed the staff, but they told her that Alicia would never be able to open her eyes.
Then, about the middle of December, Alicia began stirring to life. She began responding to her mother's requests to move her fingers or toes. But she would not respond to the doctors or nurses, so the staff did not believe Sherri when she told them Alicia was changing.
"I was on an emotional roller-coaster," she said.
Finally, one day she asked them to quietly enter the room while she talked with Alicia and asked her to do certain things. She responded, and then they saw that, indeed, she was waking from her coma, was cognizant, and was regaining some functions.
On Jan. 7, Alicia began attending The Rehabilitation Institute in Kansas City, Mo. She was able to sit in a reclining wheelchair with pillows to support her.
"I realized I had to figure out a way to handle her by myself," Sherri said. She found out that a mountain climbing harness she purchased at a sports store worked well. She also discovered that Alicia was strong and could support her body weight, making it relatively easy to move her from the bed to the wheelchair.
Alicia continues in rehab four days a week. Fortunately, Sherri has a sister, Kathy Goentzel, who lives at Harrisonville, Mo., near Kansas City, so they have a place to stay.
They are home the other three days of the week. Sherri's husband, Fletcher Sells, employed in construction, usually is home every other weekend.
"Every day Alicia does something new," Sherri said.
She now uses a regular wheel chair. She is able to see somewhat out of both eyes and is regaining more movement in both arms and hands. She also can walk a short distance with assistance and is beginning to read.
She has been fed through a stomach tube since the accident, but recently began to eat. She especially likes chocolate pudding, Sherri said, and is eating more pureed food every day, to the surprise of her therapists.
Her memory of the past is good but she seems to have a problem with short-term memory.
She will resume schooling before long to try to make up for lost time. She is a sophomore at Marion High School and was in the gifted program.
Her biggest problem is that she can't talk and thus can't communicate easily. She smiles and shakes her head and can mouth words or form letters and words with her fingers, but she lacks coordination to write or do keyboarding.
Her therapists are trying to figure out a way for her to communicate by using a special computer.
Sherri said many of Alicia's school friends have been very supportive. One friend, Amy Goering, wrote to her every day while she was in the hospital. Another friend, Hannah Eis, is keeping a notebook of school activities.
Sarah Davidson writes letters on what is going on in school. Becky Tharp visits often and sings to her. Megan Whitaker also stops by frequently. They sometimes call or spend time with her on weekends.
Alicia's father, Brett Pippin of Emporia, visits her regularly.
Sherri attributes Alicia's progress to the many people who have been praying for her. From the moment she heard of the accident, she has been praying for her daughter.
"People from all over, even people who don't know her, are praying for her," she said.
A group of students in Marion met every Wednesday night for more than a month to pray for Alicia. Members of Strassburg Baptist Church, where Alicia is a member, also are prayer partners.
"We keep praying for total restoration," Sherri said.
"Alicia continues to surprise all of us," said Cheri Kendirck, a social worker with the Rehabilitation Institute. "It's pretty amazing sometimes considering her original prognosis. She's a hard worker, but she sometimes plays out easily."
She described Sherri as being "sharp and creative," and contributing significantly to Alicia's rehabilitation.
Alicia may be discharged from the rehab institute in May and will continue therapy at home.
The future seems daunting to Sherri. She gave up her job as an English-as-a-second-language teacher at William Allen White Elementary School in Emporia to give full time to Alicia.
Besides the amount of time she spends caring for her daughter, she also spends a lot of time dealing with insurance and other assistance issues. Along with the daily chores of maintaining a household, yard work will be necessary as summer approaches.
Sherri is thankful for the help and offers of assistance she has received from neighbors and friends. She said Jackie Hett comes to her home every day when she is gone to take care of the pets. Other neighbors and friends like Nancy Tharp, Kathy Whitaker, and Danette Eis also have volunteered to help her out.
"Friends and neighbors like that are invaluable," Sherri said.
Alicia's grandparents are Lauren and Luetta Enns of rural Hillsboro. Jim and Brenda Enns of Hillsboro, Jim and Teresa Bernhardt of Marion, and Ken and Kathy Goentzel of Harrisonville, Mo., are her uncles and aunts. The late Dean Pippin was her grandfather.
The Sells are planning to build an addition onto their house which will include a handicap-accessible bathroom, a more convenient utility room, and garage space for a handicap-accessible van, if needed.
Area contractors have donated their services to draw up blueprints. The family would appreciate any labor or materials that could be donated toward the project.
In addition, monetary assistance is needed for meeting huge medical expenses which have exceeded insurance coverage.
An account has been established at Central National Bank of Marion in the name of: Fletcher or Sherri Sells, For the Benefit of Alicia Pippin.
