An Emporia teenager critically injured in a two-vehicle accident on May 29 is ready to take her next step to recovery.
Mariah Serrano has been in the intensive care unit at Stormont-Vail HealthCare in Topeka since she was flown there from the scene of the accident.
She has undergone multiple surgeries, persistent fevers and a host of life-threatening problems throughout her stay at Stormont-Vail.
This week, she was taken off the ventilator that helped her breathe, and has been able to breathe on her own for longer periods of time before returning to the ventilator.
She now has been approved to be moved to a hospital in Nebraska, where she will undergo rehabilitation. The family is waiting for an opening in the juvenile area of the rehab hospital so Mariah can be transferred there.
Her family — father Ed, mother Angie and stepmother Carrie Serrano — have posted updates regularly on the Web site, www.caringbridge.com, and in recent days have had more progress than problems to report.
“Mariah is making baby steps towards recovery, but from where she started, it seems like huge leaps to all of us,” the Wednesday post stated.
“... I can sense that Mariah knows when we are in the room as we notice her eyes move around and it seems that she follows people when they move around in the room.”
The post on Thursday told of further improvement.
“I got to witness this morning her sitting on the side of the bed just dangling...awesome to see her in a different position then just laying side to side!!!” the journal stated. “It took four of the staff to get her there.”
Another post, often expressed by the family, gave gratitude for the support received from all quarters as the young woman continues to heal.
“I feel very blessed that by the power of prayer and love and Mariah’s will to live, we are still progressing,” the journal stated. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the great people of Emporia and what they have done for this family. We have a strong support system.”
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