Kaitlyn graduated on time with her class in 2012.
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“We never gave up fighting for her,” said Neurosurgeon Dr. Daniel Friedlich.
Kaitlyn’s mom, Jarilyn, has been by her daughter’s side.
I’m alive and I don’t want to waste a minute of my life! – Kaitlyn Parra
brain was functioning started to appear. One of the most heartening was when Jarilyn talked; Kaitlyn turned her head in the direction of her mother’s voice. Eventually she began to come to for short periods of time. There came a day when she was asked to write the number one on a white board, and she could do it. In October of that year she was transferred for rehabilitation at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. More than four months after the accident, just in time for Christmas, Kaitlyn was discharged from the hospital. Carried out on a gurney, her left side paralyzed, and with only minimal movement on her right side, she and her mother took the next steps of a journey that would be both grueling and exhilarating. Kaitlyn was determined to defy dire outcomes. She continued physical and speech therapy, and worked daily with her mother at home. As soon as she gained enough strength to sit up in a wheelchair, she returned to school. “I’m alive and I don’t want to waste a minute of my life!” she told her teachers. She had been used to learning easily, now it took more effort to process and remember information, but in May 2012, Kaitlyn graduated on time with her class. With help from a favorite teacher and buoyed by cheers from her classmates, she was able to stand to receive her diploma. “As momentous as that day was, there were so many everyday things I couldn’t do that frustrated me,” Kaitlyn admits. “One of the happiest days of my life was a year ago, when I could brush my own teeth again.” She had made the courageous decision to have surgery on her right arm to remove ossified bone that had grown through her elbow into the tricep. If the surgery were successful, she’d be able to feed herself, wash her own face, comb her hair, and do many of the things we all take for granted. However, there was risk of nerve damage that could paralyze her one good arm or hand. “I decided I couldn’t live with the knowledge that this freedom ‘might have been,’” she explained. A few hours after surgery, Kaitlyn fed herself chocolate pudding. “Nothing has ever tasted this good!” she told her mom. She has now had the same surgery on her left arm. Step by difficult step, Kaitlyn continues to confront limitations. She has had lots of help, including more physical therapy at Rady’s. Last year she took her first tentative steps with a cane. She can now walk short distances on her own. Her mother works with her at the gym where Kaitlyn, very carefully, climbs stairs. She has had therapy from a neuro-therapist in Laguna Niguel who expects her to continue to progress significantly. Members of the community have put their arms around her: Kevin Duenas, co-owner of Dynamic Fitness Performance, volunteers his time helping her regain movement and build strength. In September, Kaitlyn and her mother traveled to Boston and Washington D.C., a wish granted by Charity for Charity, the foundation begun by Temecula Valley’s Charity Prestifillipo. Casey Bell of Bell College Counseling, and Dr. Friedlich have volunteered to help her get into college.
Courtesy photos this page
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Kaitlyn wants to devote her life to helping those who face challenges that threaten to defeat them. “I have been there. I understand,” she says. She speaks to students about the power of gratitude and never giving up hope. She has also spoken at the California Women’s Conference in Long Beach, Murrieta’s Loma Linda Medical Center, and for other organizations. Wanting to share her story with the world, she has begun writing a book. “I am so happy just to BE,” she says. “I find joy in the little things –seeing beautiful flowers on a walk, being able to clean up the kitchen and sort laundry. Most of all, I have met people who really care and who will be like family to me, forever.” This young woman who came within an inch of losing her life, says with a smile across her face, “I love what my life is becoming! And I love feeling the wind on my arm.”
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