After getting off a school bus, Jordana was hit by a driver who failed to stop as she crossed a two-lane highway in front of her home. She suffered a diffuse axonal brain injury and spent a month in a children’s hospital in her Montana hometown before transferring to Nexus Children’s Hospital.
“When she first arrived at Nexus, she was having difficulty with visual tracking and wasn’t attempting to communicate with people around her,” said Vo Hubble, Jordana’s mother. “Her care team was focused on improving her mobility and getting her to be more responsive.”
Throughout Jordana’s eight-month stay, she’s seen tremendous progress in her mobility. “She’s able to walk with assistance now, which is huge,” Vo explained. “I never thought she’d be able to walk again.”
Through physical therapy, Jordana has been able to become more independent, practicing sitting and standing to regain her strength. She particularly enjoys going up and down the stairs in the physical therapy room, and even asks if she can do it when she’s working with her occupational therapist.
Occupational therapy has helped Jordana regain control of her left arm. “The muscles in her left arm were so tight that it was more or less glued to her chest when she arrived at Nexus,” said Vo.
Jordana has also seen improvements in her communication skills, and while she’s not yet communicating verbally, her strong personality is shining through. “She doesn’t have the words yet, but she definitely responds to people and is able to communicate what she wants,” explained Vo. “She’s been getting better at it every day.”
Jordana’s strong will and independent personality make it clear that she’ll continue to break down barriers as she leaves Nexus and continues her recovery journey. “I’m just so grateful that there are people at Nexus who know how to deal with these kids,” Vo said. “They know what to expect and they have the right experience. I feel like I can trust them with what we want to accomplish with Jordana. I just love what they do here.”
Jordana is particularly excited to be reunited with her sister and brother, who were witnesses to her accident. “It’s going to be so great for them to see her being a lot more like her old self,” remarked Vo. “It will be part of the healing process for all of us.”
