Just weeks after graduating high school, McKylie Carlson was preparing for college, where she planned to study elementary education. Instead, a serious car accident on July 2 left her with a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures and a long road to recovery.
“I couldn’t talk. I could barely breathe on my own,” McKylie said. “I had a trach in, a feeding tube and couldn’t sit up or walk by myself.”
After three weeks at Mosaic Life Care, McKylie arrived at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ specialized brain injury program, requiring total assistance for nearly every task.
“She could follow very minimal commands and was dependent for all her self-cares and mobility,” Jessica Virgil, MOT, OTR/L, CBIS, a Madonna occupational therapist, said. “We started with basic sitting balance, alertness, simple movements and routine tasks.”
Vision therapy quickly became an important part of her individualized care plan.
“At first, she had very limited attention, so we incorporated functional vision into therapy,” Virgil said. “By the time she left, she was working on visual awareness, eye coordination and perceptual skills every day.”
In addition to her brain injury, McKylie was healing from several broken bones that made movement even more challenging.
“She had fractures in her clavicle, tibia and spine, so she couldn’t put weight through one arm or leg at first,” Karen King, PT, DPT, CBIS, a Madonna physical therapist, said. “But she was incredibly determined to walk again.”
As her alertness improved, therapy advanced from sitting and standing balance to walking, stairs and real-world activities.
“We challenged her with dynamic balance, treadmill training and outdoor walking,” King said. “We also add cognitive and communication tasks during mobility to improve safety and independence.”
Week by week, McKylie began regaining skills she once wasn’t sure would return.
Her first meal after coming off the feeding tube is one she still remembers.
“Chicken strips… and French fries?” she asked with a smile.
“Well mashed potatoes” her mom, Jody Ward, replied, “but close enough.”
By the time she discharged from Madonna, McKylie was walking with minimal assistance, communicating clearly and participating in daily activities.
“She came in needing help with almost everything,” Virgil said. “By the time she left, she was eating normally, talking and initiating conversations and completing her self-cares with only standby assistance. She made incredible progress in a short amount of time.”
Therapy also focused on helping her reconnect with her personality and confidence by incorporating games and activities that tapped into her competitive spirit.
“We tried to keep sessions fun and motivating,” Virgil said. “As she improved, her personality really started to come out again.”
Toward the end of her stay, therapy even included a community outing with her family.
“We went to the arcade and the mall,” McKylie said. “It was great.”
Her therapists say her strong support system and determination played a big role in her recovery.
“She worked hard every day, even when things were difficult,” King said. “She kept pushing herself, and that made all the difference.”
As her recovery progressed, McKylie also participated in Madonna’s Therapeutic Learning Center, helping her rebuild the cognitive and academic skills needed to return to school.
Today, McKylie is focused on the future again — something that once felt uncertain.
When asked how it feels to be walking again, her answer was simple.
“Good.”
And when asked what helped her get there?
“They pushed me,” she said. “In a good way.”
Kansas Teen Rebuilds Her Future After Traumatic Brain Injury
