(Poughkeepsie Journal) – Six months ago, it seemed Anne McManus’ life had changed forever.
A car crash in March left the Hopewell Junction teen with multiple facial fractures and a traumatic brain injury. She was unable to breathe, eat, talk or walk on her own.
“My parents were told I would not wake up,” McManus recalled.
The following month, she arrived at Helen Hayes Hospital in Haverstraw and was admitted to the hospital’s Brain Injury Unit. She was unable to follow commands and relied on both a feeding tube and a trach tube.
But, she had “determination and a positive spirit,” physical therapist Kamila Wysocki.
On Thursday, the product of that determination was on display, as McManus was one of six patients recognized at the hospital’s 118th Honors Assembly. The ceremony provides accolades to patients at the state-run rehabilitation center who have beaten the odds and overcome life-changing injuries. CONTINUE