FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)– 20-year-old Taylor Godfrey remembers nothing of the day her car was t-boned by a semi hauling a load of cars on State Road 26 two years ago.
Godfrey was rushed to Parkview Regional Medical Center with multiple injuries such as internal bleeding, several broken bones, and a severe traumatic brain injury.
Doctors weren’t sure if she would survive.
Two years later, Godfrey was walking, talking, and laughing with different members of her care team who helped her get back onto her feet.
Hailing from Russiaville, Godfrey spent six weeks at Parkview Regional Medical Center.
“I didn’t want it to beat me. I wanted to beat my accident. I wanted to beat the thought process of ‘oh, she was in an accident, she can’t do anything. I did do things. I got better,” Godfrey said.
It was only after days after the accident when Godfrey’s parents saw a glimmer of hope.
“It was several weeks that she was in a coma before she actually responded to us, so I remember that first instance. It was 3 weeks from when we first saw any glimmer of hope to get her first response. From there, it was just the process of her recovery,” Rodney Godfrey, Taylor’s father said.
After spending 6 weeks at Parkview’s ICU, Godfrey was transferred to a long-term acute care facility in Indianapolis for just over a week. She spent most of her recovery at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“They [the nurses at Parkview] made it fun. They made my care a lot more fun than anything else would be. It was like your best friend caring for you on a sick day. They make you feel good when you feel like you are down, and they made me feel like I was there for a purpose,” Godfrey said.
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor Godfrey was hospitalized after a car crash left her with internal bleeding, several broken bones and a severe traumatic brain injury. 
Taylor successfully recovered from her injuries thanks to the help of nurses from Parkview Regional Medical Center
After completing recovery in Michigan, Godfrey continued physical, occupational, and speech therapy closer to home in Kokomo.
With May being Trauma Awareness Month, Godfrey had some words of wisdom for those going through a similar experience.
“Keep working through it, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Maybe you can’t do this or do that. But you can ask for help, you can lean on someone. Don’t be afraid to lean on somebody,” Godfrey said.
