WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

 

     On September 17, 2007, Alicia Fallon, then 16 years old, was on her way to work on a school project when she was involved in a devastating automobile accident that would change her life in one heartbreaking moment.  The popular and outgoing South Florida teen, who had always eagerly embraced life and all that it had to offer, now lay motionless, trapped in her completely twisted and mangled  car.  By the time that the paramedics arrived, Alicia had to be resuscitated and placed immediately on life support.   She was airlifted from the accident scene to a local hospital, where she began the courageous battle for her life.    

     Diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.), Alicia was given little hope of recovery by her doctors.  Even after enduring two brain surgeries, she remained in a deep coma, completely unaware of the world around her.  Alicia's family and friends refused to give up on her and never stopped praying for a miracle.  They longed for any response from Alicia, a girl whose striking beauty had led to several successes in modeling.  They rejoiced when, 3 months after her accident, Alicia smiled in response to her mother's voice.  That first smile was only the beginning of a long and heroic journey that Alicia would need to take in order to fully regain consciousness and reconnect with her world.

     As Alicia participated in speech, occupational, and physical therapies, she began to show a gradual increase in her overall level of alertness and responsiveness.  She began to laugh and to use head movements to answer "yes" and "no" questions.  Then, eighteen months after her accident, Alicia defied all of her doctors' original prognoses and was officially pronounced to have regained consciousness, although she remained severely disabled. 

     With funds raised in a benefit concert in May of this year, Alicia was able to participate in a much more intensive therapy program, combined with Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments. Her improvements as a result of these treatments were, for Alicia, extraordinary.  She began to speak- -first in single words and then, occasionally, even in short, 3-5 word sentences.  While her speech is often garbled and very difficult to understand, Alicia’s parents clearly heard every word when, 20 months after her accident, she told them, “I love you”.  She even began to sing along to some of her favorite songs, remembering both the lyrics and the tunes.  Although Alicia currently struggles to say words and be understood, she will nevertheless, when encouraged, regularly attempt to speak.

     To this date, Alicia's physical movements remain severely limited, and she is completely dependent on others for all of her daily care.  She must be in a customized wheelchair due to her inability to adequately sustain her body position.  Alicia, who earned a black belt in karate just months before the accident, now struggles to initiate even the most simple of movements of her arms and legs and is only able to hold her head up for brief periods of time.  While she must endure the constant frustration of her inability to control her own body, Alicia nonetheless is always ready with a smile for her family and friends.  Her courage and perseverance are a constant reminder to those whose lives she touches to never give up hope and to always reach beyond the horizon.

     Due to exhausted health insurance benefits, we need your help and generosity in order to give Alicia the kind of extensive therapy programs, including additional Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments, that are so crucial for her continued recovery.  Alicia, who would have been a graduate of Coral Springs High School’s Class of 2009, dreamed of touching the lives of children by becoming a teacher.  Please help us to give Alicia the best possible chance to fulfill all of her hopes and dreams and to live the kind of life that this heroic young woman deserves.  Donations in any amount or help with planning or implementing future fundraisers/charitable events for Alicia would be ever so greatly appreciated.  You can email Donna Fallon, Alicia’s mother, for further information at: superfinst@yahoo.com.