Miraculous Recovery: 4-Year-Old Overcomes Severe Brain Injury With Exceptional Care at Oklahoma’s Only Level I Trauma Center

It took only a minute for 4-year-old Yale Veazey to scooter down the driveway and into the path of a speeding car. The impact threw the little boy down the street, where he lay lifeless.

“One minute Yale was with me and the other kids putting on his shoes to leave our friend’s house, and the next he was lying motionless on the road,” said Lara. “I ran down to him with my baby in my arms and I was crying out to God, please don’t take him, please don’t take him, I couldn’t bear it.”

Yale was barely alive when he arrived at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health Emergency Room on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. The news was grim for parents Ryan and Lara Veazey — their youngest son was severely injured, and they didn’t know if he’d make it. All they could do was hold on to the fact that Yale was still alive.

Facing Yale’s Injuries

In 2023, motor vehicle accidents were the second highest cause of death in children ages 1 to 19 and over 162,000 children were injured in traffic crashes in 2021, a significant increase from previous years. An average of three children are killed and an estimated 445 children are injured every day in traffic crashes in the United States.

Yale’s injuries were horrific. He had a severe traumatic brain injury, high-grade kidney laceration, bilateral pulmonary contusions, multiple pelvic fractures, and he was on a ventilator. A diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a type of brain injury that happens when the brain moves quickly inside the skull, like during a car accident or a fall. This sudden movement can cause the long, thin parts of nerve cells (called axons) to stretch and tear. When axons are damaged, it disrupts the brain’s ability to send messages between different parts, which can lead to serious problems like unconsciousness or long-term brain damage.

Yale’s head injury was a grade 3 DAI. Key characteristics of grade 3 DAI include neurological deficits and brainstem microbleeds. Recovery from a grade 3 DAI is often very challenging.

Yale was evaluated by OU Health pediatric surgeon Dr. Jeremy Johnson, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

“Dr. Johnson looked at us and said, I think he’s going to be OK,” said Lara. “He told us that the team had Yale stable — even though we found out later he was really concerned about Yale’s injuries. As parents, he gave us something to hold onto. We were in complete shock and needed his calm presence and gentle bedside manner.”

Waiting for Signs of Recovery

Ryan and Lara were surrounded by friends and family praying and giving them support. Lara’s cousin turned up with her husband, both trauma surgeons from Kansas City, and they stayed with the couple through the ordeal. The Veazeys have three other children, including a baby who was 9 months old at the time.

“Although Yale was severely injured, he fortunately did not have any injuries requiring immediate surgical intervention,” said Dr. Johnson. ““He was quickly transferred from the trauma bay to the PICU where our colleagues helped us manage his ventilator and traumatic brain injury.”

Ryan and Lara sat by Yale’s bedside, watching and praying that he would make it through. Doctors were concerned about brain swelling, and let the family know that if Yale’s brain swelled too much more, he would need a shunt. Yale was experiencing fevers as the result of the brain injury, and the little boy looked tiny in the hospital bed with the ventilator.

“It was so strange,” recalled Lara. “Yale had such terrible injuries but lying in the hospital bed he looked like a cherub with his white-blond hair and tiny frame. For how seriously he was hurt, he looked so perfect.”

Yale was on a ventilator for four days before doctors removed it so he could breathe on his own. Every now and then he would twitch, or move slightly, and the family knew this was a good sign. Two days later, still in the PICU, Yale opened his eyes for the first time since being hit by the car.

“When he woke up, he was so groggy, crying and confused but he was awake!” said Lara. “Finally, we could hold our little boy. I could see his spirit in there and we were so happy.”

Rehabilitation and Recovery

Over the next couple of days Yale started speaking — just a few words here and there, but he was improving. He was non-weight bearing on his broken hip, but three days later he was ready to leave Oklahoma Children’s Hospital to start rehabilitation.

Once Yale started rehabilitation he began to improve quickly. Yale worked with speech therapists to gain his voice back and to relearn how to speak. Despite being non-weight-bearing on his hip, Yale worked with a physical therapist to get moving again, and he loved the fun therapy exercises.

After five weeks he was finally able to go home.

When Yale went home, he was able to start walking again.

“He was like a baby deer learning how to walk again — wobbly and stumbling,” said Lara. “But he’s a spitfire; a little guy with a big personality and he hit all the therapy goals ahead of target. Nothing stops him.”

A year later Yale is thriving. He’s back at school and other than occasionally taking a little longer to recall some words, he is back to normal — full of life and energy.

“We don’t take one second for granted and we relish the time we have together,” said Lara. “We were already a very close-knit family, and I think it brought us even closer. It really makes you think about what is important in this life. Yale is such a fighter and inspires me to be a better person every day and to live life to the fullest!

When we think of Dr. Johnson our hearts well up with gratitude. I could cry just thinking about him; the hope he gave us. The one behind the scenes making tough decisions, and the team managed Yale’s care perfectly.”

“The care Yale received was truly a team effort,” said Dr. Johnson. “Between the intensivists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, ER doctors, and the physical and occupational therapists — I would estimate that more than 50 different care providers helped take care of Yale while he was at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital."

Expert Emergency Care at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health

OU Health is the state’s only Level I trauma center and the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital ER serves approximately 40,000 patients each year.

“Oklahoma Children’s Hospital plays a very unique and important role in our community and state,” said Dr. Johnson. “As Oklahoma City’s only comprehensive 24/7 pediatric emergency department and referral center for complex issues throughout the state, we have some of the nation’s most experienced and trusted pediatric medical specialists.”

The dedicated pediatric physicians and specially trained trauma doctors at OU Health collaborate to address the unique needs of growing bodies affected by traumatic injuries. The pediatric trauma experts provide the highest level of care in the region for life-threatening situations. They ensure seamless coordination of your child’s care between the Trauma Center and Oklahoma Children’s Hospital through a multidisciplinary, team-based approach and offer peer support for families through the Trauma Survivor Network.

Learn more about pediatric emergency and trauma services and call 9-1-1 if you are in doubt when to seek emergency care for your child.