Taking Advantage of Second Chances
At the end of January, Breanna Gutierrez will celebrate her 30th birthday.
“My plan is to celebrate by skiing at Winter Park with my NSCD [National Sports Center for the Disabled] brain injury group,” she says. “I love skiing and feeling the warm sunshine on my face with the snow in the background. It’s just so beautiful and freeing. I only skied once before my accident, but now I feel very lucky that I am able to enjoy that fantastic feeling.”
It’s no surprise that Breanna feels lucky—considering she spent six months at Craig Hospital recovering from a serious car accident in 2019.
An Absolute Blessing
At the time of the accident, Breanna was driving with her boyfriend when they were hit head-on by another vehicle. In addition to a broken back and numerous other broken bones, Breanna sustained a brain injury, which led to a stroke. “I was in the ICU for about one month,” she recalls. “After I was released, I transferred to Craig in July of 2019.”
A staff member in the ICU told the Gutierrez family about Craig for brain injury neurorehabilitation. “I am forever grateful for that recommendation because Craig was an absolute blessing for Breanna and our family,” Breanna’s mother, Veronica, explains. “Not only did she need to relearn how to walk, but Breanna also had to relearn how to speak, eat and use the bathroom.”
She adds, “As a mother, it’s so hard to see your child suffering in any way, knowing their whole life will be a challenge, but we felt thankful for Craig Hospital. Our entire family believes there’s a special place in heaven for everyone at Craig.”
In addition to a rigorous physical, occupational and speech therapy schedule, Breanna also took part in the donor-supported music and horticultural therapy programs.
“Getting my voice back was a very slow process,” Breanna recalls. “At first, I could only speak in a slight whisper, and then I started to improve a little each day, thanks to my speech therapist. After I surprised everyone by singing happy birthday to my dad, I began working on singing Bob Marley’s ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ in music therapy.”
Annamarie Engelhard, Craig’s board-certified music therapist, adds, “Music therapy was a powerful treatment in Breanna’s rehabilitation. With both the neurologic presentation of her injury and her personal affinity towards music, we were able to use clinical music therapy techniques to improve her voice, breath and speaking, while supporting her whole-being with music that comforted and encouraged her.”
And it was Breanna’s love of flowers and plants that led her to horticultural therapy at Craig. “Before my accident, I managed the floral department at Safeway, so it made sense for me to spend hours getting my hands dirty in horticultural therapy.”
It Takes a Village
When it was time for Breanna to go home to Littleton, Colorado, the Gutierrez family felt nervous and overwhelmed.
“During Breanna’s stay at Craig, her care team focused on preparing our family for life back at home,” Veronica explains. “But the thought of actually returning home still caused us stress and uncertainty because we knew that navigating life outside the hospital was going to be a challenge.”
She adds, “To help us prepare for the transition, Craig staff visited our home before discharge to evaluate what adjustments needed to be made to our house, which was so helpful. In the end, we decided to stay at my mother’s house because at the time, my father was in hospice, so their house was already set up to accommodate Breanna’s specific needs.”
Once Breanna returned home, she was determined to stay busy. In addition to skiing with the NSCD, volunteering at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Craig Hospital, and attending Easter Seals’ day program, Breanna joined Craig’s Brain Injury Community Recreation Group.
“I feel extremely grateful to be part of the BI group and spend time with others in my situation,” she says. “I have made many close friends and love doing fun activities together, getting back into the community, and staying connected to Craig.”
The focus of the Brain Injury Community Recreation Group is to work on socialization and independence.
“We meet once a month to talk about various issues experienced by patients with BI and their family members and to plan fun, interesting outings, such as Rockies games, concerts, hikes, plays and museums,” explains Carol Huserik in Craig’s Therapeutic Recreation department. “Group members are tasked with suggesting activities, researching and planning.”
Carol adds, “It’s amazing to watch the growth of our participants. There’s so much power in coming together to share unique experiences and take on new responsibilities. Members motivate each other to get out and be active, which can be challenging for some individuals with a brain injury.”
Looking Ahead
When asked about the future, Breanna says she has many goals. These include improving her walking, balance and speech, as well as gaining more independence. The Gutierrez family is also attending family therapy to navigate the stress and ongoing challenges associated with caregiving.
“It’s been a long road, but I am grateful to be able to have some sort of life,” Breanna says. “I’ve learned the importance of working hard and never giving up. I have been given a second chance at life, so why waste it? Why not try to better myself?”
Breanna adds, “I will forever be thankful for Craig—the most wonderful people who were there for me during the worst time of my life.”
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