Victoria’s parents said that their 11-year-old daughter reportedly developed flu-like symptoms and fainted several times. Shortly after, her health continued to deteriorate as her family was forced to watch helplessly. Severe inflammation of her brain and spinal cord destroyed her life, and within weeks, the little girl was paralyzed from the waist down. Eventually, she lost the ability to communicate. She slipped into a coma, but her incredible story was far from over. What happened four years later stunned not only her family but physicians, too. The brave girl was kept alive with a feeding tube. Although her parents were told that it was unlikely she would recover, she could hear her loved ones.
When she first woke up mentally, she was unable to move her body. She could hear conversations around her and wanted to react, but her body would not obey her commands. Victoria had no way of telling people what was happening to her. She was locked inside her own body, where she would remain a prisoner for years. As if someone had flipped a switch, she could not control her body, but she was there, listening. Unable to respond, she heard doctors tell her family that she was effectively brain dead and would be a vegetable for the rest of her life. They were wrong, and shockingly, no one can tell you that better than Victoria herself.
“But my parents believed in me. They set up a hospital room in our house and took care of me. My three brothers — I’m a triplet and we have an older brother — talked to me and kept me in the know about what was going on outside of my room. They empowered me to fight and get stronger. They didn’t know I could hear them, but I could,” Victoria said, according to reports. Nearly four years after slipping into a coma, Victoria was completely out of her vegetative state. Her remarkable recovery began after she was finally able to make eye contact with her mother and blink on command. Then, she was able to move a finger, which progressed to waving her hand, as she slowly regained control of her body. She even began eating. Eventually, she began to talk again, first forming single words, then full sentences.
Despite her incredible recovery, there was still one thing she couldn’t do. Victoria was told that the swelling to her brain and spinal cord had caused permanent damage, paralyzing her from the waist down forever. She couldn’t move her legs, and specialists continuously told her to get used to being in a wheelchair. After her turbulent 10-year journey, she is literally a walking, talking miracle and an incredible inspiration. However, she makes sure to point out, “I didn’t do this on my own, and I am grateful for everyone who has helped me to this point. Each day, I become more comfortable with my new reality.” Explaining that she thought taking her first steps would be her finish line, she added, “But really, they were only the beginning.”
