Meet Heidi, who experienced the unimaginable

Heidi was in disbelief when she woke up and looked out the window — fluffy, white snow blanketed the ground as far as she could see.

“We got like eight inches of snow,” Heidi, 13, said. “We never get snow, like, ever, so you gotta take advantage of the moment while it’s here.”

Heidi, her brother and a couple of church friends that were staying the night threw their jackets on in a hurry and ran outside to play.

Heidi, her brother and their friends took turns sledding on the snow.

The sun eventually began to set, and it was almost time to go back inside, so Heidi and her friend decided to go one more round on the sled.

At one point, her friend slid off onto the snow, and suddenly, in an accident her family could never have imagined, a truck ran over Heidi.

Living through the unimaginable

Heidi’s dad, brother and friends who’d seen what had happened rushed to her side. They called for an ambulance and performed CPR on her while they waited.

After the ambulance arrived, paramedics rushed Heidi to an area hospital, where a helicopter waited to transport her to Children’s Medical Center Dallas — about two hours away from their home on the border of Texas and Oklahoma.

At the hospital, physicians discovered Heidi had about 15 skull fractures, so they placed her in a medically induced coma to protect her brain from further damage and swelling and allow it to heal.

In the blink of an eye, the flurry of events had seemingly thrown Heidi and her family from a fun day in the snow to one of the scariest moments of their lives.

Finding solace in their care team

But amid confusion and anxiety, Heidi’s family found solace in their care team at Children’s Health.

“We had amazing nurses from the very beginning, and the doctors were awesome,” Heidi’s mom, Joanie, said. “They were very informative, and they let us be there for all their morning meetings.”

Their physicians always took the time to explain anything the family didn’t understand, ensuring they felt involved in the care of their daughter.

A child life specialist, part of a team that works alongside the medical staff to ensure a positive experience for patients and families, would frequently check in on Heidi’s youngest brother, who was in the truck during the accident.

She would read and play with him, making sure to do all she could so he felt supported. Eventually, she even gifted him a teddy bear with Heidi’s heartbeat.

Some of their nurses would also speak to Heidi while she was in a coma, just as if she was awake.

“She would say, ‘OK, Heidi, I’m gonna move your arm. I’m gonna give you this medicine,’” Joanie said with a smile. “It was just so comforting. Those people became family.”

Heidi and her family’s experience at Children’s Health, shaped greatly by the care team members they met, made them confident that they were at the right place to help them go through the impossible.

“It definitely made our life so much easier, knowing that we had the support we got,” Joanie said.

Waking up and starting rehabilitation

Heidi’s medically induced coma lasted nearly two weeks.

Throughout that time, poster boards and cards from her family’s church community took over her hospital room’s walls, filling it with encouraging words.

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The prayers and support from across the world were being sent to help in the hope that God would continue guiding the staff at Children’s Health to perform miracles.

— Joanie, Heidi's mom

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Then, a couple of weeks before her birthday, physicians woke Heidi up. She doesn’t remember much of those initial moments, but her mom recalls seeing her shed a tear.

“I just lost it,” Joanie said. “We didn’t know if we’d ever see a tear run down her face again.”

Once she had an opportunity to recover, Heidi started physical therapy and rehabilitation.

At first, she struggled to speak, stand, swallow and move. Her occupational and physical therapists worked with her to strengthen the skills that would get her back to being more independent.

One of her parents’ favorite memories was when the therapist helped Heidi hold her arms up to hug them.

“That was just a whole other experience of greatness,” Joanie said. “The therapists were so sweet.”

Heidi was determined to get back to her normal, often insisting she could keep going when her therapists suggested taking a break.

Spending time with the Children’s Health Pet Therapy dogs helped motivate and distract her during the harder days — especially when she missed her own dog, Chewy. Music therapists would also make sure to drop by to sing with her.

“They would make every therapy session fun,” Heidi said.

Programs like these are powered by donors’ philanthropic funds, which work hard behind the scenes to create an incredible experience for patient families.

“Donations are definitely life-changing,” her dad, Brett, said. “I don’t know whether Children’s Health would be what it’s like without them.”

In an effort to continue to provide incredible care for the youngest patients of North Texas and beyond, Children’s Health is partnering with UT Southwestern Medical Center to build a new Dallas pediatric campus that will home one of the largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals in the nation.

The new campus will include a Level 1 pediatric trauma center with 90 emergency department exam pods and 24 observation rooms, strengthening our ability to care for the most complex pediatric patients, like Heidi.

‘An excellent ending’

All in all, Heidi spent four weeks in rehab, where she learned how to walk, speak and swallow again.

Back at home, she’s spending time with her family and beloved pup, Chewy, going to church, seeing her friends and playing outside.

“She loves with her whole heart,” Joanie said. “Everybody’s her friend. She’s outgoing, she loves life — and she wants to include everyone in it.”

After overcoming some of the biggest challenges of her life, and with some more time on her hands, Heidi is also excited to daydream about her future and “live a happy life,” she said.

When she grows up, Heidi wants to become a cosmetologist or interior designer. She previously considered becoming a lawyer or a veterinarian, but she’s not good at arguing and some aspects of caring for animals make her queasy.

Her family is thrilled to see her smiling brightly and joking alongside them, just like old times.

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Our story had an excellent ending, and it’s all thanks to the dedication of her care team at Children’s Health. Heidi wouldn’t be where she is today without them.

— Brett, Heidi's dad

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