Matt and Danielle Davis had not been married a year when Matt was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. He hit an illegally parked car as he was merging onto an interstate. His injuries were numerous and severe including multiple broken bones, organ damage, and trauma to his brain. He was put on life support and was in a coma.
A Secret Life of Mom Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that are just too good, too beautiful, or too unbelievable to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add a little something to your day. This story is from April 2015.
Following Her Intuition
Doctors recommended Danielle take her husband off life support because there was a “90% chance” he would never wake up from the coma. Aside from multiple fractures in his femur, jaw, ribs, collar bone, and skull, his liver was lacerated, and he had a serious brain injury. This meant he had a 10% of waking up and only a 5% chance to recover properly. In a television interview, Danielle revealed that doctors had told her that, if it was them, they would pull the plug.
“They said that’s what they’d want their family to do.” She said, even though she refused to take their advice. “I knew that God could get us through that. I didn’t think that it was too big for God,” she added.
Read: With Pregnant Wife in Coma, Virginia Man Fights to Save Her and Their Baby-to-Be: ‘Miracles Can Happen’
Matt and Daniella had only been dating for two months prior to their wedding. She was 24 years old and Matt was 23. Seven months later, the accident happened. Two years before that, Matt’s father had tragically passed away. This ultimately resulted in his mother being too ill to care for him in the state he was left in after his own accident. It was Daniella’s decision to keep him on life support. When Matt woke up, the brain damage he endured left him with no memory of Daniella. Regardless, he was happy he had married her. “I’m sure glad I married her,” he told ABC news.
Read: 5-Year-Old Brother Carries His Little Sister’s Coffin to Say Goodbye to Her Forever
Till death us do part
Danielle moved back into her mother’s house with Matt where they both took care of him. For the first three months, he was still in a coma. After he woke up, he started following them with his eyes. “If we’ve got to bring him home, let’s make sure he has the best view in the world,” Daniella said, recalling telling her mother that she wanted Matt to have a room with a view. “If he’s going to be a body in a bed, let’s give him something to look at.”
Together they worked to get Matt to do the things his therapist had him doing in rehab, simple things like holding up an object and asking him to reach out and take it from them. Danielle remembers the day he reached out and grabbed a toy motorcycle. “It doesn’t sound like much but to us, it was a miracle.”
He took his first steps almost three years after the accident
Physically, things started improving but the trauma to his brain took longer to heal. He has struggled to regain his long-term memory and is unable to remember Danielle from before the crash. When he came out of the coma, he had no idea who she was. They have had to get to know each other all over again.
Rehabilitation is slow and expensive. So, to help with the costs, Danielle set up a GoFundMe which is no longer active. There she wrote: “It’s been 3 1/2 years since Matt’s accident and he continues to improve! He is not on any medications, he walks with forearm crutches for minimal distance and supervision. Insurance will no longer pay for therapy. People with Traumatic Brain Injury need a lot of rehab, people continue to make improvements even 10 years after their injury. Insurance doesn’t pay for the amount of therapy they need so often times that person doesn’t reach their full potential.”
It took some time for Matt to regain his sense of humor. But, one moment made Daniella realize her husband still had the same quirky personality. He had asked for his favorite meal, which was a buffalo chicken wrap from Cheddars. “He whispered but I know I heard him right, Cheddars was his all-time favorite before the accident!”
Matt and Danielle’s Instagram has not been active since 2017. We hope they are doing well!
Keep Reading: Dentistry Student Shares Touching Story of Being Raised by Father with Down Syndrome
Sources
- “Wife Refuses to Give Up on Husband in Coma After Crash – Then He Wakes Up.” ABC News. Sydney Lupkin. April 06, 2015,
- “Learning to love again: Wife ignored doctor’s plea to pull plug on husband, he beat the odds weeks later.” Global News. John Hadden. April 7, 2015