Student Continues Recovery In Texas

— Gaylene Davis said her daughter believes her life was spared for a reason, and her faith is helping her recover from a near-fatal accident.

In October, Megan “Zandra” Davis, 17, a senior at Bentonville High School, was crossing 14th Street in Bentonville on her way to the Walton Life Fitness Center after school. She was in the crosswalk, and witnesses say the walk signal was lit.

Davis
Davis

A bus filled with school children was traveling the same street. It’s possible the bus driver was talking to one of the students seated behind her as the bus approached the crosswalk.

An ambulance was also approaching the street and may have triggered a change in the traffic light. The accounts of witnesses don’t all agree with the police report. The report states a pre-emption system turned a traffic light green seconds before the bus struck Davis, contradicting two witnesses, who said the light was red.

What happened may have changed the course of Davis’ life, but in some ways, she hasn’t changed at all.

Megan Davis suffered multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury, but she still looks forward to a career helping children as she recovers in a rehabilitation facility in Galveston, Texas, her mother said.

The Davises probably won’t be home for Christmas, but they are determined to make the best of rehab.

At A Glance

How’s Megan?

Laura Foy manages a Facebook page called “Prayers for Megan” to keep friends up to date. So far, about 800 people have “liked” the page.

Source: Staff Report

The Transitional Learning Center in Galveston is helping with the physical rehabilitation for Megan Davis’ shattered pelvis, legs and jaw, and the cognitive rehab that will help her recover from the brain injury.

“She’s very positive. She’s extremely strong and has a lot of faith,” Gaylene Davis said by telephone. “She does every day what she has to do to get better.”

Megan Davis was knocked 30 feet on impact, according to a police report. She was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville and later was flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Mo. At first, doctors weren’t sure she would survive.

Megan Davis was kept sedated for the first few weeks after she injured, her mother said, so she was spared some of the pain. Later, she was moved to a physical therapy hospital in Houston. She has had five surgeries and two other procedures.

Since she has been in Galveston, Megan Davis has started to remember her friends and her life before the accident. Her mother is slowly easing her back into everyday life, trying to keep the focus on recovery.

Gaylene Davis knows her daughter’s time in the rehab facility will be limited by what insurance will pay, and they need to make the most of it.

Megan Davis’ first words were the names of her family as they prompted her to speak. When she was able to form a sentence, she surprised her mother with a statement.

“I forgive her,” Megan Davis said one day out of the blue. “I forgive her for putting me here.”

“She forgave the bus driver, and she knew it wasn’t anything she did on purpose,” Gaylene Davis said.

On Christmas, Gaylene Davis expects to check her daughter out of the center and take her to the small apartment where she stays with her husband. They will have a few gifts and a Christmas lunch, then return Megan to the center.

Gaylene Davis, a Walmart employee, has worked remotely for the last few weeks and expects to spend at least another month in Galveston.

Megan Davis is making progress toward the goals a team of therapists set for her. The ultimate goal is to get her back to school, but Gaylene Davis doesn’t know if that will be possible. She expects to contact the school district sometime after the holidays to talk about possibilities.

“She has no anger, no hard feelings, no bitterness,” Gaylene Davis said. “She knew that God had spared her life, and He has a plan for her.”

Megan Davis may know what that plan is, her mother added.

“Since she was 10 years old, she wanted to be a geneticist and cure diseases for children,” she said.

Megan Davis even knows where she wants to work one day.

“She loves children. She loves St. Jude hospital,” her mother said.

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