Robyn Davis
If I had to summarize our brain injury journey in one word, it would be gratitude.
On March 18, 2025, our lives changed in an instant. My 10-year-old son Evan was involved in a devastating car accident in Marietta, Georgia that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures. In those early moments, our family was living minute to minute, unsure of what the future would hold. Like many parents in that situation, all I could think about was whether my child would survive.
Thanks to the extraordinary care of the medical team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Evan did survive. But survival was only the beginning of the journey.
Brain injury recovery is not something most families understand until they experience it themselves. In the hospital and during rehabilitation, we learned that progress often comes in small steps. Sometimes those steps feel monumental—sitting up, standing, walking again. Other times the progress is quieter but just as meaningful, like rebuilding strength, balance, and confidence.
There were moments in those early weeks that felt impossibly heavy. During that time, our family held on to a simple song that became our reminder to keep going: “Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” When everything felt overwhelming, those words helped us breathe and focus on the next moment instead of the uncertainty ahead.
While Evan’s eyes were closed for weeks and before he had regained his speech, I sat beside his bed repeating a mantra to him every day:
“You are strong. You are brave. You are fierce. And you never, ever, ever give up.”
Those were the words I wanted him to hear, even when we didn’t know if he could understand them yet. The incredible thing is that once Evan began speaking again, he started saying the words himself—only changing them to:
“I am strong. I am brave. I am fierce. And I never, ever, ever give up.”
Today, he still says that mantra every single day.
As we approach the one-year mark since Evan’s accident, the word that still comes back to me is gratitude. Gratitude for the doctors, nurses, and therapists who helped guide his recovery. Gratitude for the first responders who helped save his life that day. Gratitude for a community that surrounded our family with support. And most of all, gratitude for the resilience Evan has shown every step of the way.
Before this happened, I knew very little about traumatic brain injury. Like many people, I assumed recovery from a serious injury either happened quickly or not at all. What I have learned is that brain injury recovery is complex, unpredictable, and often invisible.
One of the hardest parts of this journey is something that is difficult to explain to people who have not experienced it. I now know what it feels like to mourn a child who is still living—to grieve the life you imagined for them while simultaneously fighting with everything you have to help them rebuild the life that is still possible.
One of the biggest misconceptions about brain injury is that if someone “looks fine,” they must be fully healed. The truth is that healing takes time, patience, and an incredible amount of work. Many challenges after a brain injury are not obvious to others. Recovery continues long after a patient leaves the hospital.
Another misconception is that a brain injury defines the person who experienced it. Evan is still the same funny, kind, determined kid he was before the accident who loves being around his friends and staying active.
Before his accident, Evan loved playing soccer. Today he cannot yet run or play competitive sports, but his dream has not changed. His wish is still to become a professional soccer player.
One of the most meaningful parts of his recovery has been his ability to return to the sport he loves through CP Soccer, an adaptive soccer program for athletes with neurological conditions. Being back on the field has given him confidence, joy, and the reminder that even though life looks different now, it is still full of possibility.
Our family has also discovered that this journey has given us a sense of purpose. Evan was recently named a 2026 Miracle Child for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and we are using that opportunity to raise awareness about pediatric traumatic brain injury. If sharing Evan’s story can help another family feel less alone or give them hope during a difficult time, then something meaningful can come from what we experienced.
If I could offer advice to someone who has recently experienced a brain injury or is preparing to leave acute care, it would be this: take recovery one day at a time.
It is very easy to look back and wish the accident had never happened, or to think about who your child might have been if it hadn’t. Those thoughts can consume you. My advice is to try not to put your energy there. Instead, put that energy into gratitude that your loved one is still here, into celebrating their resilience, and into believing that their life still has incredible purpose.
In two weeks, we will reach the one-year anniversary of Evan’s accident. Instead of spending that day in sadness, we have decided to celebrate it. For our family, March 18 will not be a reminder of what was lost. It will be a reminder of what was achieved — a day that marks survival, resilience, and the beginning of a new chapter in Evan’s life.
I truly believe Evan is alive for a reason and that he will make a difference in this world.
Recovery from brain injury is rarely a straight path, but improvement is possible. Our journey is still unfolding, and while we would never have chosen this experience, it has taught our family profound lessons about resilience, perspective, faith, and gratitude.
And for that, we are deeply thankful.