17: Coma Inducing Car Crash with a 5% Chance of Recovery to Happy Loving Family // The Story of Harriet Ronaghan

Background:

A devastating car crash left 18-year-old Harriet Ronaghan with a traumatic brain injury. Given just a 5% chance to live, this vibrant young ballerina survived surgery but remained in a coma for over three months. To recover from her type of injury, she had to build new pathways to control her basic functions. After waking from her coma, she had to relearn how to blink, swallow, talk, walk, and care for herself – skills doctors told her she might never reclaim.

Robbed of her independence, mobility, and many friends (overwhelmed by the gravity of her injury), Harriet refused to let this accident take more from her. One grueling step at a time, she began to recover. Uplifted by the love of her family and her own characteristic strength and determination, Harriet was walking without assistance after just 16 months. Three months later, she went on her first date with the man she would later marry on the 9th anniversary of her accident. Last year, they celebrated the birth of their first child, Charlie.

Early in her recovery, Harriet helped the father of a young man in a coma simply by sharing her story. Determined to amplify her message of hope, just 10 months after the accident she began typing – with her one working finger – a manuscript for her book, You are my Sunshine: The Journey Through my Recovery with a Traumatic Brain Injury. To inspire those affected by trauma, she continues to share her story through media, presentations, and personal connections. Just as Harriet forged new pathways in her brain, she has redefined the path to her bright future, transforming the people and community around her.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

1:36 In 2007, Harriet Ronaghan went into a coma and suffered a major brain injury after being in a horrific vehicle accident. She was able to come back from this devastating setback in her life and was given the Courage to Come Back Award.
3:03 Harriet did not remember the accident and she woke up after three and a half months of coma in the hospital.
4:03 The neuropathways in her brain were severely injured, which affected her bodily movements. She had to learn how to eat, walk, talk, and move again.
4:52 Being a determined person was a major driving force for Harriet to keep moving forward.
6:20 Even when she was still in a wheelchair and undergoing therapy, her dream was to have a family of her own, get married, and have children.
7:45 Accepting the Courage to Come Back Award was a mind-blowing and very special experience for Harriet.
9:45 Before her accident, she was a ballerina and an acrobat.
11:00 Harriet gets emotional talking about her book You Are My Sunshine.
12:26 Her book was on hold because she got pregnant and many things happened in her life.
16:41 She came back to the hospital and saw a young boy lying in the same bed where she was in when she was still in a coma. This touching experience inspired her to write her book.
18:09 Seeing that young boy in the hospital inspired her to write for other people.
19:26 Harriet gives her advice to people who are trying to recover from a serious injury.
21:53 She did not give up during her recovery because she knew she would have that family and she would get married.

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15:36 At 17, Eric thought he was going to jail for a long time but there were people who helped him get back up again. Please check out Eric’s book to know more about his whole story. You can visit his website and download a free copy of the intro and prologue at EricGilbertWilliams.com.

Key Point from the Interview:

“I was surrounded by people who were also in wheelchairs and I could see how far I had to go to get to where I was, but I never ever stopped trying. It was never ever a part of me that thought I can’t do this. I was just, okay I’m going to do it. No matter what doctors told me, what physiotherapist said, I was going to do it.”
“Don’t give up. Just keep on trying. Keep on pushing. Just believe in yourself and your personal motivation. And you can do it, if no one else believes in you, you can believe in yourself.”

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