{"id":18912,"date":"2018-10-16T08:35:56","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T14:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18912"},"modified":"2022-06-03T11:04:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T17:04:57","slug":"car-accident-survivor-became-everybodys-kid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/car-accident-survivor-became-everybodys-kid\/","title":{"rendered":"Car accident survivor became &#8216;everybody&#8217;s kid&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>The situation was dire.<\/p>\n<p>The 18-year-old from Wyoming had been thrown from her car after it hit a patch of black ice. Her SUV flipped and sent her tumbling down an embankment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18918\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18918\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18918\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized.webp\" alt=\"Car accident survivor Devyn Brinkerhoff poses with her fianc\u00e9, Caleb Olson.\" width=\"400\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized.webp 891w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized-267x300.webp 267w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized-768x862.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized-134x150.webp 134w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202945\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-at-the-Rockies-sized-200x224.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff and her fiance, Caleb Olson. Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The accident happened about 10 miles from her home in Gillette on a remote stretch of highway. Some oil workers thankfully were nearby. They took off their jackets and covered Devyn Brinkerhoff to keep her warm, then refused to let her move.<\/p>\n<p>Devyn\u2019s body was broken, but she kept trying to stand up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom wants me home. My mom wants me home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Devyn was with two friends. The girls were enjoying their senior \u201cskip day\u201d and had been at a bonfire out in the country. Devyn\u2019s mom thought it was ridiculous to celebrate in late March when glum, icy weather still gripped Wyoming.\u00a0 But Devyn promised to get home as soon as she could. She was driving when she hit the ice.<\/p>\n<p>The only lucky part of a very unlucky crash was that Devyn\u2019s car did not roll over on her after ejecting her more than 30 feet.<\/p>\n<p>Paramedics rushed Devyn to the hospital in Gillette.<\/p>\n<p>Her mom met her there after getting word at her job at an elementary school that something was wrong. She quickly learned that the other two girls were injured, but would be OK.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-6 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<p><strong>Level I Trauma Care <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Level I is the highest trauma center designation.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospita<\/a>l is home to the only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-burn-center-anschutz-medical-campus\/\">Burn Center in Colorado<\/a> verified by the <a href=\"http:\/\/ameriburn.org\/\">American Burn Association<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-now-one-of-the-states-few-level-i-trauma-centers\/\">Read more<\/a>.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>University of Colorado Hospital has the largest neurological intensive care unit in the state and is one of the few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/treatments-procedures\/stroke-care\/\">Comprehensive Stroke Centers<\/a>. <\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>University of Colorado Hospital is home to a full-service orthopedic trauma service and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-orthopedics-anschutz\/\">Limb Restoration Program<\/a>, <\/em><em>dedicated to the treatment of conditions that can put limbs at risk.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Nationally recognized surgeons, emergency and trauma physicians from <a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Colorado School of Medicine <\/a>provide expert care for patients.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Devyn, on the other hand, was in terrible shape. She had a devastating pelvis injury. Her right leg had turned a terrible, purplish blue. Still, she could talk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMama, am I going to be OK?\u201d Devyn asked.<\/p>\n<p>Jerri Brinkerhoff nodded and pushed back tears. She was determined to be strong for both of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to fly you out,\u201d one of the doctors told Jerri.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors in Gillette stabilized Devyn and a medical plane flew the Brinkerhoffs to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re going the best place you could go,\u201d the flight nurses told Jerri. \u201cThis is where you need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Massive injuries and up to 100 units of blood<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Devyn arrived in Colorado on the same day as her accident, March 28, 2014. The ER and trauma teams jumped into action immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Erik Peltz was the first to care for Devyn.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18939\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18939\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18939\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081910\/Devyn-in-the-hospital-sized.webp\" alt=\"Devyn Brinkerhoff laying in her hospital bed. She was barely clinging to life at first after a bad accident.\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081910\/Devyn-in-the-hospital-sized.webp 750w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081910\/Devyn-in-the-hospital-sized-225x300.webp 225w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081910\/Devyn-in-the-hospital-sized-113x150.webp 113w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081910\/Devyn-in-the-hospital-sized-200x267.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18939\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff had to fight for her life after a terrible car accident. Photo courtesy of the Brinkerhoff family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe first few hours were critical,\u201d Peltz said, adding that Devyn\u2019s injuries posed a high risk of death.<\/p>\n<p>They ranged from a small brain bleed, to a lacerated liver, a collapsed lung, damage to her kidneys and spleen and multiple rib fractures, Peltz said.<\/p>\n<p>She also was bleeding badly from a severe pelvis fracture, said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/robert-mcintyre-jr-md-surgery\/\">Dr. Robert McIntyre<\/a>, another one of Devyn\u2019s doctors, who ended up supervising her care team over the next month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was in shock and had to be massively transfused,\u201d said McIntyre, Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/services\/trauma-services\/\">Trauma &amp; Acute Care Surgery Services<\/a> for UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>He remembers the team giving Devyn unit after unit of blood \u2013 as many as 100.<\/p>\n<p>The accident also caused an injury McIntyre has never seen in 31 years as a trauma surgeon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer pelvis was so displaced and the bone fragments were so separated that the fracture caused a bowel injury. Her small intestine was trapped between the bone fragments of her pelvis,\u201d said McIntyre, who is also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>The fracture damaged nerves leading to Devyn\u2019s right leg.<\/p>\n<p>Jerri remembers seeing an X-ray early on. Even she could tell how bad the injuries were.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looked like a bunch of puzzle pieces lying on a table that all needed to be put back together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u2018A tough cookie\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For days, as Devyn clung to life, her mom stayed with her around the clock, convinced always that her third child would survive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s my tough cookie,\u201d Jerri said. \u201cShe\u2019s always been a fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Devyn has two older brothers and when the kids were little, Jerri remembers Devyn sometimes complaining that the boys were leaving her behind on her bike.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18938\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18938\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18938\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized.webp\" alt=\"The Brinkerhoff family. Devyn Brinkerhoff poses with her fiance, her two brothers, her parents, her grandfather and her niece and nephew.\" width=\"640\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized-300x192.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized-1024x655.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized-768x492.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized-150x96.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/16081902\/Devyn-family-photo-sized-200x128.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff credits her family with helping her recover from a terrible car accident when she was 18. She is now finishing nursing school and plans to get married next year. Photo courtesy of the Brinkerhoff family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Her mom filled Devyn in on the reality of big brothers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe boys are never going to wait for you. You\u2019re going to have to work at it. Then, when you pass them, just look back and smile at them,\u201d Jerri advised. \u201cThey would rib her and push her and make her keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Devyn learned how to hang with the boys and also loved girly stuff. She started dancing at age 3 and was as fearless on stage as she was on her bike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was a daredevil at dance,\u201d Jerri said.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018<strong>She became everybody\u2019s kid\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Little by little, Devyn began to improve and the hospital staff fell in love with her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe became everybody\u2019s kid,\u201d Jerri recalled. \u201cShe had several little teams. They were all saving her. They fought nonstop for days and days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There were key milestones that gave Jerri, her husband, Rich, and the rest of the family hope.<\/p>\n<p>One of the first key steps was the surgery to repair Devyn\u2019s splintered pelvis.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18921\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18921\" style=\"width: 263px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-18921\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized.webp\" alt=\"Devyn poses in her cap and gown at her high school graduation.\" width=\"263\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized.webp 877w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized-263x300.webp 263w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized-768x876.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized-132x150.webp 132w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203002\/Devyn-at-graduation-cropped-and-sized-200x228.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18921\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deveyn Brinkerhoff managed to graduate from high school months after a devastating car accident. Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis was one of the worst pelvic fractures I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d said Devyn\u2019s orthopedist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/melissa-gorman-md-orthopedic-trauma-surgery\/\">Dr. Melissa Gorman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after that surgery, Devyn was doing well enough that the breathing and feeding tubes could come out.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout her hospital stay, Devyn always shad a remarkably sunny attitude.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the moment she woke up from her sedation, she was determined to do well,\u201d Gorman said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I ever went into her room when she didn\u2019t have a smile on her face.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Soon, she was asking when she could get up and walk, McIntyre said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a paradigm for how to engage in your own care and for her positive attitude. Her attitude was critical to her recovery,\u201d he said. \u201cDevyn is one of the bravest, most courageous people I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Hospital earns Level I Trauma designation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> now has earned the coveted designation as a Level I Trauma center. It\u2019s only the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colorado.gov\/pacific\/cdphe\/designated-trauma-centers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fifth hospital in the state to receive the certification<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-memorial-hospital-central\/\">UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central<\/a> earned the designation earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Level 1 centers must have specialists available around the clock.<\/p>\n<p>McIntyre credits a team approach with helping Devyn. First, the hospital in Gillette stabilized her, then they sent her to a larger facility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer constellation of injuries required all the specialists to work together,\u201d McIntyre said.<\/p>\n<p>Those experts include emergency medicine specialists, trauma surgeons, orthopedists, intensive care unit providers, neurosurgeons and rehabilitation specialists. In addition, because University of Colorado is an academic institution, research is a key.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital\u2019s blood bank also was critical.<\/p>\n<p>Devyn did not have burn injuries, but many trauma patients do and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-burn-center-anschutz-medical-campus\/\">UCHealth Burn Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> is the only center in the state that is certified by the <a href=\"https:\/\/ameriburn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Burn Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>McIntyre said that earning the Level I designation is a great accomplishment that has taken many years to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m most proud of the teamwork,\u201d McIntyre said. \u201cPeople here are very collaborative. We all have a common mission and vision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And that vision centers on patients, like Devyn.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>First steps and nursing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Devyn progressed much faster than expected and was able to leave the hospital after about five weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Her family faced more hardships when Devyn\u2019s grandmother \u2013 Jerri\u2019s mom \u2013 was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer and passed away just weeks after Devyn made it home.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18924\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18924\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18924\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized.webp\" alt=\"Devyn Brinkerhoff smiles as she learns to walk again.\" width=\"640\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized.webp 875w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized-263x300.webp 263w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized-768x878.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized-131x150.webp 131w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203016\/Devyn-learning-to-walk-again-cropped-and-sized-200x229.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18924\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff always had a smile on her face as she worked to recover from a terrible car crash. Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Soon after that loss, the family got to experience some joy when Devyn managed to graduate from high school. Her brother, Ryan, pushed her wheelchair across the stage.<\/p>\n<p>It took a full year before Devyn was able to start walking again.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18922\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18922\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-18922\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203006\/Devyn-back-when-she-was-a-dancer-sized.webp\" alt=\"Devyn Brinkerhoff leaps on stage. She used to love dancing before a terrible car accident.\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203006\/Devyn-back-when-she-was-a-dancer-sized.webp 591w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203006\/Devyn-back-when-she-was-a-dancer-sized-221x300.webp 221w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203006\/Devyn-back-when-she-was-a-dancer-sized-111x150.webp 111w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203006\/Devyn-back-when-she-was-a-dancer-sized-200x271.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18922\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff began dancing at age 3. Her mom said she was a &#8220;daredevil at dance.&#8221; Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For Jerri, the joy of watching Devyn rise and take her first steps was just like the excitement of seeing her 18 years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were thrilled. It was just like when she was a baby,\u201d Jerri said.<\/p>\n<p>Devyn\u2019s right leg remains paralyzed from the nerve damage she suffered during the accident. But she wears a full-length leg brace and manages to swing her leg forward and can stand and walk.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired by the nurses who cared for her, Devyn also decided to continue her education and become a nurse. She will graduate from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sheridan.edu\/about\/gillette\/\">Gillette College of Nursing<\/a> with her Registered Nursing degree in May.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I love most about nursing is that you\u2019re able to help people get back to their regular or their new-regular,\u201d said Devyn, now 22. \u201cYou\u2019re there to help them in their journey of healing. When I was at UCH (University of Colorado Hospital) the nurses had so much influence on how I progressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Standing on her own two legs \u2013 with plenty of support<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While Devyn can no longer dance, she\u2019s incredibly optimistic about her future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore the accident, I wasn\u2019t really sure of the route that I was taking in life,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything has a way of working itself out and this accident fortunately led me to the path that I guess I needed to take.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her life includes plenty of fun times with her family \u2013 including a beloved 10-year-old nephew and a niece who is almost 3. The entire family loves going to Keyhole Reservoir in Pine Haven, Wyo. about 40 minutes from Gillette, where they go boating and tubing.<\/p>\n<p>Along with moving forward in her career, Devyn also has exciting news personally. She and her boyfriend of three years, Caleb Olson, became engaged in January and plan to get married next October in Hawaii.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18919\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18919\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18919\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized.webp\" alt=\"Devyn Brinkerhoff and her fiance, Caleb Olsen, pose together outside.\" width=\"350\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized.webp 871w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized-261x300.webp 261w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized-768x882.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized-131x150.webp 131w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15202951\/Devyn-and-her-fiance-posing-outside-sized-200x230.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18919\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff has embraced the new normal in her life. Her right leg remains paralyzed, but is able to walk again thanks to hard work and a brace. Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Her relationship with Caleb has brought unexpected joy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe always tells me I\u2019m so beautiful and there\u2019s nothing he would change about me. In the state where I was, those were some of the best words I could hear. After the accident, I never thought I would be in the position of getting married,\u201d Devyn said.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout her recovery, Devyn said her family \u2013 both her relatives and her medical team \u2013 have helped her succeed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom was always pushing and supporting me,\u201d Devyn said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe would say, \u2018You\u2019re going to figure out how to have a great life,\u2019\u201d Devyn said. \u201cWith that drive from my family, it pushed me to realize, \u2018I\u2019m OK and I\u2019m thankful to have another day with my family. I just need to work hard to be OK.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before her grandmother passed away, she too, gave Devyn strength.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18925\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18925\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18925\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203023\/Devyn-with-her-niece-and-nephew-sized.webp\" alt=\"Deveyn Brinkerhoff poses with her niece and nephew. \" width=\"300\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203023\/Devyn-with-her-niece-and-nephew-sized.webp 673w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203023\/Devyn-with-her-niece-and-nephew-sized-202x300.webp 202w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203023\/Devyn-with-her-niece-and-nephew-sized-101x150.webp 101w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15203023\/Devyn-with-her-niece-and-nephew-sized-200x297.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devyn Brinkerhoff with her niece and nephew. Photo courtesy of Devyn Brinkerhoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cShe told me, \u2018we\u2019ll fight this fight together,\u2019\u201d Devyn said.<\/p>\n<p>Losing her grandmother so quickly was very difficult, but Devyn is dedicating her medical career to her.<\/p>\n<p>Devyn\u2019s nephew, Alex, was only 6 when she had her accident. He, too, was instrumental in helping her get better.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a big part of my healing. He would spend the night with me often at my mom\u2019s house. He would sleep with me and hold my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These days, Devyn can stand firmly on her own two legs. Yes, one remains paralyzed and Devyn needs her brace. But she can put in 12-hour nursing shifts and gives hope to others when they need it.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s thanks to all the hope others gave her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here because of my family. I always tell them and Caleb that they\u2019re my right leg. They keep me going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The situation was dire. The 18-year-old from Wyoming had been thrown from her car after it hit a patch of black ice. Her SUV flipped and sent her tumbling down an embankment. The accident happened about 10 miles from her home in Gillette on a remote stretch of highway. Some oil workers thankfully were nearby. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":18918,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[235,3155,745,565,1497],"class_list":["post-18912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-emergency-care","tag-level-i-trauma-center","tag-rehabilitation-therapy","tag-trauma-services","tag-uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Car accident survivor became &#039;everybody&#039;s kid&#039; - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Devyn Brinkerhoff suffered terrible injuries hitting black ice. 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