5-Year-Old On The Road To Recovery Following Tragic Car Crash

On June 24, five-year-old Avril Ochoa, along with five relatives, was traveling on State Road 80 near Labelle, FL when their vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. The little girl, who had been vacationing with her aunt, went into cardiac arrest and sustained a severe head injury.

Avril, who lives in Miami, was rushed to a local hospital where she was stabilized before being transferred to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Avril’s parents, who were not on the family trip, received the devastating news and rushed to Ryder Trauma to be reunited with her.

“When I saw my daughter wake up, she looked dazed and confused,” said Cindy Guillen, Avril’s mother. “Everything was happening so fast that as a mother, you don’t even have time to breathe.”

A CT scan showed Avril had mild bleeding in the brain, and was suffering from short-term memory loss. At that point, her medical team couldn’t determine if Avril would be able to speak again.

She underwent surgery for the lacerations on her face and was closely monitored by her neurosurgery team, composed of University of Miami Health System neurosurgeons John Ragheb, MD, and Juan E. Sola, MD, along with neuropsychologist Suzan Tanner Woodward, PhD.

“I had extreme confidence in the neurosurgery team, the ICU team, and all the staff we encountered,” Guillen said. “I kept telling myself I had to be strong to overcome this, and Jackson was very supportive in our journey.”

A week later, Avril began a new phase in her recovery at Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital.

Seema Khurana, DO, an UHealth rehabilitation physician, recommended a comprehensive therapy plan, which included 10 consecutive days of neurologic, physical, speech, and occupational therapies from morning to afternoon.

“It was very uplifting to see Avril every day in rehab as she continued to improve. She went from a confused agitated child to a witty, playful child,” Dr. Khurana said. “She would sing and dance and play. She has come a long way and has progressed faster than we could have imagined. She will return to school in August as a miracle child.”

Avril recently completed all her physical and occupational therapies, but will continue doing cognitive therapy at Jackson.

“She was a different child from who she is right now,” said Judy de la Cruz, speech-language pathologist at Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital. “She was not speaking and was very agitated.”

Avril is now looking forward to starting kindergarten and making new friends.

“My daughter is talking again, she’s dancing. It’s something I thought I would never see her do again,” Guillen said. “She’s my miracle child.”