An accident left this teen near death, but she fought to live. “It’s a day that a lot of us thought we were never going to see … and here she is walking out of the hospital.”
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Brilea Southard couldn’t hold back the tears, but she wasn’t alone.
The 16-year-old, who suffered crushing injuries in an auto accident in December 2023, walked out of Riley Hospital for Children on Friday, headed for a future many once thought impossible 513 days ago.
Scores of Riley team members lined the hallways of the eighth floor to cheer on one of their favorite patients as she clutched a pink cane, her beloved stuffed bunny and the arm of her mom, Paula Allen.
Surrounding her were her brother, sister, stepdad and other family members who have walked this journey with her since she was airlifted to Riley from her hometown of Terre Haute, following the head-on crash that injured many members of her family while they were out looking at Christmas lights.
Brilea suffered an aortic dissection, in addition to multiple broken bones and crushing injuries to her abdomen. She endured 30 surgeries, most performed by Riley surgeon Dr. Robert C. Burns.
“She had like a 4 percent chance of surviving, but by the grace of God and Dr. Burns, here she is,” said her sister, Faith.
But so many people at Riley – from the PICU, to the burn unit, to the 8 East team, to the therapy/rehab team, even the pet therapy team – played a role in saving this child’s life.
And so many of them were on hand Friday to say goodbye to a family who has had a positive impact on seemingly everyone during the 17 months she has spent inpatient.
Her one and only time outside the hospital was a trip with nursing staff and her mom to see pop star Taylor Swift at Lucas Oil Stadium in November, courtesy of donors and the Riley Children’s Foundation.
The tears flowed freely Friday, as did the cheers, the applause, the noisemakers and the bubbles, all in celebration of a remarkable recovery made possible by the expertise of the Riley team, the faith of one family and the resilience of one girl.
“Brilea is the strongest girl I know,” said an emotional Kenna Taylor, one of the teen’s primary nurses on the night shift for the past year. “They’ve been through so much and celebrated so many victories. I’m so excited for them to celebrate the victory of going home.”
Cara Flanigan, a wound ostomy nurse who has worked closely with Brilea and her family during this overwhelming odyssey, was overcome as she hugged mother and daughter when they passed her during the discharge parade.
“It’s a day that a lot of us thought we were never going to see … and here she is walking out of the hospital,” Flanigan said. “I can’t say enough about this family and the amount of support she has had.”
Paula Allen, who has spent almost every day by her daughter’s side after recovering from her own serious injuries in the crash, credits the family’s faith, the Riley team and the community that surrounds them for getting them to this moment.
“I did my makeup this morning, and I don’t know why,” she said, as tears spilled from her eyes.
“No one ever plans or wants to live in a hospital for a year-and-a-half, but I do think we were able to make the best of our circumstances because of where we were,” she said. “These nurses and doctors have seen us through the hardest time of our lives. We will carry them in our hearts forever.”
Brilea, who spent much of her last couple of days in the hospital writing thank-you notes to her team and other patients, was equal parts excited and anxious about leaving the place she’s called home for so long.
“I feel very blessed,” she said, as she and her family rounded up wagon after wagon of belongings to pack in their car for the trip home. “I’ve been here so long; now that I’m actually leaving, it feels so weird.”
Brilea will be returning to the Riley Outpatient Center for follow-up appointments with multiple teams, including surgery, GI, nephrology and plastics, but she can’t wait to get home to her two cats, Klaus and Sassy, and all her friends. She even hopes to participate in a modified way with her color guard team this summer.
She has bonded with so many Riley staff who have taken note of her positive attitude throughout her stay, including Dr. Hank Knouse, a developmental pediatrics/rehab physician who was on hand for discharge day.
“Dr. Knouse is on service this week, and he said he had to walk out of the room before he started crying when they were doing rounds,” Brilea said.
He is the same doctor who surprised her with chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A last year during a small window of time when she was able to eat real food, rather than relying on IV nutrition.
“She has worked so hard,” Dr. Knouse said as he posed for photos with Brilea and her family before the parade began. “We are going to miss all of them. It’s been a long, long journey, and she’s been a rock star every step of the way.”
The final hurdle in Brilea’s long recovery at Riley was a tricky surgery last month to reattach her intestines in the hope that she would be able to eat again after relying on IV feedings for a year.
After saying earlier this year that she longed for the day when she could eat cake on her birthday, Brilea started with sips of water in the first few days post-op before graduating to small bites of food. Among her favorite treats she’s had in the past couple of weeks are chocolate-chip pancakes and Chinese food.
The latter, she said, “really hit the spot.”
Brilea will still need supplemental IV nutrition at home, at least for now, but she is grateful for the opportunity to enjoy family dinners again.
After all the smiles and hugs and goodbyes during the parade, she stepped into the elevator with her family and collapsed against her mom in tears.
It had been quite the day – 513 days to be exact – but Brilea was ready to begin her journey home, where another crowd of community members was waiting to greet her.
As Dr. Knouse said, part of what makes Brilea so special is that she is always looking toward the next day and not worrying about the past.
“She just keeps moving forward.”
Photos by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org
Check out our previous story about Brilea here: Birthday bash for “Queen Bee,” a rock star at Riley
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