Ayuen Leet, a 13-year-old Massachusetts girl who was struck by a car while crossing a street, is awake and starting rehab following a lengthy coma. Ayuen suffered serious injuries when she was hit by an SUV in Worcester on July 30. The teen’s family told sister station WCVB she was walking home from the nearby African Community School when the crash happened. The girl was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where she was placed in the intensive care unit.”The first days were really devastating, heartbreaking. We did not know if she was going to make it,” said Jok Leet, one of Ayuen’s older brothers. Ayuen, a hardworking student who loves to laugh and draw, spent more than a month in a coma. She didn’t wake up until late last week, when her family said she suddenly opened her eyes and began asking for family members by name.”She tried to talk, say what she wanted, but it was very unclear. That was five days ago,” said Jok Leet. “Today, she’s much better. She can speak clearly, and she can follow instructions, and that’s very reassuring.”The Leet family fled the brutal war in South Sudan and spent seven years in Kenya as refugees before coming to the U.S. to build a new life. Ayuen is the youngest of five children, with one older sister and three older brothers. He said the family is also grateful to those who have donated financial support. “We are here because of you. You (Americans) accepted us and welcomed us, so I say thank you to all Americans,” said Jok Leet. Now that she’s on the mend, Ayuen was moved Wednesday to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston for the next stage of her recovery. “She’s been doing alright with the right side of the body, but there is still much work thats needed to be done on the left side because she damaged the right side of the brain,” her brother said.The driver who hit Ayuen remained on scene after the crash and was subsequently cited for speeding, police confirmed.
Ayuen Leet, a 13-year-old Massachusetts girl who was struck by a car while crossing a street, is awake and starting rehab following a lengthy coma.
Ayuen suffered serious injuries when she was hit by an SUV in Worcester on July 30. The teen’s family told sister station WCVB she was walking home from the nearby African Community School when the crash happened.
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The girl was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where she was placed in the intensive care unit.
“The first days were really devastating, heartbreaking. We did not know if she was going to make it,” said Jok Leet, one of Ayuen’s older brothers.
Ayuen, a hardworking student who loves to laugh and draw, spent more than a month in a coma. She didn’t wake up until late last week, when her family said she suddenly opened her eyes and began asking for family members by name.
“She tried to talk, say what she wanted, but it was very unclear. That was five days ago,” said Jok Leet. “Today, she’s much better. She can speak clearly, and she can follow instructions, and that’s very reassuring.”
The Leet family fled the brutal war in South Sudan and spent seven years in Kenya as refugees before coming to the U.S. to build a new life. Ayuen is the youngest of five children, with one older sister and three older brothers.
He said the family is also grateful to those who have donated financial support.
“We are here because of you. You (Americans) accepted us and welcomed us, so I say thank you to all Americans,” said Jok Leet.
Now that she’s on the mend, Ayuen was moved Wednesday to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston for the next stage of her recovery.
“She’s been doing alright with the right side of the body, but there is still much work thats needed to be done on the left side because she damaged the right side of the brain,” her brother said.
The driver who hit Ayuen remained on scene after the crash and was subsequently cited for speeding, police confirmed.
