Casey Gallagher

Robin Littleford, a teacher at G. F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver, says she has never experienced anything like the progress Casey Gallagher has made over the past nine months.

You may remember reading about Casey. On April 2, 2002 she was in a car accident and suffered a severe brain injury. She was in a coma for months. In fact when her mom brought her home the following November, she was still in a semi-conscious state.

"I've never experienced anything like it before," Littleford told me. "In my experience it's absolutely amazing for someone to have been in such a low level state for so long and then begin to take such amazing strides forward."

She gives much of the credit for that "amazing" progress to Jeanette Anderton, Casey's mom.

Although the hospital care was excellent, Jeanette brought Casey home in November of 2002, six months after the accident, because she felt she would do better in a family, rather than an institutional environment. And there's no doubt that Casey has done better than medical personnel expected.

From the moment I walked into their home, I felt I had become part of a miracle in progress. The house is filled with a joyful vision of where Casey can go in the months ahead. There was little or no focus on the profound loss she has experienced over the past two years.

And that positive vision is becoming a reality. Casey started to speak last summer, about nine months after she got home, and this past February, she started attending NDSS.

She is enjoying socializing with people her age and working with her teachers to find an appropriate level of academic study. She's also working toward improving her speech and thoroughly enjoying a cooking course. In fact, given some necessary renovations in their kitchen, she's looking forward to doing more cooking at home.

Casey's long-term goal is to find some way to be able to make a positive difference for other people. (I think she would make an awesome inspirational speaker)

One of her short-term goals is to be able to stand, if not dance, by next year. (Given her attitude, an attitude inherited from her mother I suspect, I'll be surprised if she doesn't make it)

Another of her major goals is to be able to live independently. (Wanna bet she won't?)

There's no doubt that Casey is such an inspirational person it would be easy to forget the part played by her mom.

Robin Littleford got to know Jeanette during the time Casey spent at G. F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre. The following are some of the words she used to describe her:

"Her patience is unending ... She's incredibly positive and keeps an open mind to the possibilities of where the healing can go ... She is extremely resourceful and has unending energy to pursue things that will benefit Casey ... Her energy and positive attitude are contagious ... She doesn't take no for an answer, if she can't move the mountain, she'll go around it."

Robin went on to say that Jeanette and Casey have taught her to never limit her thinking about possible growth and improvement with brain injury.

Before our interview ended, Jeanette began to list all the people she wanted to thank for the support they have given her over the past two years but it's just too long a list for this column. Just know that she is eternally grateful.

Over the past year and a half Jeanette Anderton has been a full-time caregiver and an extraordinary advocate for her daughter. Now she is getting ready to advocate on behalf of others. To that end, she has asked me to remind you that Brain Injury Month is the month of June.

To read any of our past columns or to nominate a Neighbourhood Hero go to www.nhero.org.