LUKE'S WARRIORS
Supporting Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to increase Traumatic Brain Injury awareness and support the organizations and programs that provide resources to TBI survivors throughout their lifetime.
SUPPORTING TBI SURVIVORS
Many TBI survivors end up needing lifelong specialized rehabilitation and post-injury services to help improve their quality of life. Our goal is to raise funds for the organizations and programs that provide these resources to survivors.
INCREASING TBI AWARENESS
We hope to increase TBI awareness in our community by hosting events, providing educational resources, and advocating for the organizations that support TBI survivors.
LUKE'S STORY
On December 17th, 2019, then 16-year-old Luke was involved in a car accident and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. He was rushed to a local hospital where surgeons performed an emergency craniectomy and removed the right side of his skull. This gave his brain the room it needed to swell and prevent further damage. Luke was placed on life support and not expected to make it through the night. Thanks to an amazing medical team, his will to survive, and countless prayers, Luke was able to pull through!
Luke spent 27 days in the ICU at Akron's Summa Hospital, fighting for his life. He remained in a coma for several weeks and endured multiple complications, including collapsed lungs and pneumonia. Thanks to the amazing, skilled care he received during his stay, Luke was finally stable enough to be discharged from the ICU on January 13, 2020. He was then transported to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where he began an intense inpatient rehabilitation program.
Over the next few months, Luke gradually regained consciousness and started getting his memory back. He worked daily with his amazing team of physical, occupational, speech, and vision therapists, who helped him regain his strength and ability to function. After a lot of hard work and healing, Luke was ready to be discharged from The Shepherd Center and went back home to Ohio in late March.
In early April, Luke began another daily rehabilitation program near his home, at Akron Children's Hospital. There he spent 8-hours a day, 5-days a week doing physical, occupational, speech, and vision therapy. Over the next two months, Luke continued to heal and get stronger thanks to his amazing team and his determination to keep fighting.
In early June, Luke was strong enough to be discharged from the Day Rehab program and began attending outpatient therapy three times a week. In mid-June, surgeons at Akron Children's Hospital performed a cranioplasty and replaced his missing skull with a 3D synthetic version. Two days later, he underwent a second surgery and had a shunt placed to allow the build-up of cerebrospinal fluid to drain from his brain into his abdomen. After a couple of weeks, Luke was back on his feet and able to resume his therapies.
In September of 2020, Luke was able to return to school for the first time since his accident. He is currently working with a great team of specialists and is on track to graduate with the class of 2022, which he is very excited about!
Luke and his family will never forget all the love, prayers, and support they have received throughout his journey. They will be forever grateful to each and every first responder and healthcare worker who played a part in saving Luke's life and helping him regain his strength and independence. The Susong family was inspired to create Luke's Warriors in an effort to increase TBI awareness and advocate for its survivors.
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