In February 2015, the administrator of this page, Stephanie Tilley, was in a car accident and suffered a severe diffuse axonal injury, the most severe traumatic brain injury and almost died.  A While she was in a coma, the world went on. When she woke up, she wondered, “Why did I survive? What is my purpose?” Then, just 6 months after her wreck, she got pregnant. Being a mother is her purpose.
Waking up completely cognitive after a severe diffuse axonal (DAI) injury is exceptionally rare. To God the Glory that I was part of a small statistic. Research indicates that only about 10-20% of individuals who suffer severe DAI regain full cognitive function, over months, if not years. Among patients who survive a coma associated with a severe DAI, approximately 15-20% may achieve a good recovery with minimal cognitive deficits, while many face varying degrees of impairment. Up to 50% of those with severe DAI may experience significant long-term disabilities affecting their cognitive abilities, up to a high percentage remaining in a persistent vegetative state.
In my case, I woke up completely cognitive and was discharged just 10 days after emerging from the coma. Since then, I have not understood how I was impacted. I have spent significant time in 2025-2026 learning more about my disability, 11 years after the accident. I’ve come to realize that there are aspects of my condition that I don’t fully understand and that I haven’t always managed effectively.
This journey has involved a lot of soul-searching. I’ve recognized that while other people may provoke me, that’s not an excuse for my reactions. My inability to respond appropriately to provocation has burned many bridges and alienated me from my children, family, and others I once considered family. Since waking up, I’ve been stuck in a constant fight-or-flight mode, which is deeply connected to my brain injury and the diagnoses I’ve received.
This ongoing process of understanding my challenges and working through my reactions has been both difficult and enlightening.
To watch a summary of her story, click on the link below (Awake and Alive). The video starts out with her singing on the way to work, the day of the accident.
She has come to the knowledge her phone WAS NOT in her hand at the time of the wreck, but nonetheless distracted driving is a very real and very serious scenario that should not be taken lightly.
Watch the video: ⬇️
➡️➡️➡️Awake and Alive⬅️⬅️⬅️
(Shane Flanigan/Zanesville Times Recorder)
There were also 3 Times Recorder articles published in regards to my accident:
A Costly Distraction (Bradley W. Parks/Zanesville Times Recorder)
I also am a mother to Emma Latier and Lillian Latier, but we have a distant relationship 😢
5lb Purpose 