GRAMBLING, LA. (KTVE/KARD)– Kayla Allen’s world flipped upside down when she was just 18 years old. That’s when the Grambling State University student was involved in a life altering car crash.
“My hands were still on the wheel, so when I finally flipped, I realized that I couldn’t move them,” Allen said.
She said her car spun around, crossed the center line, and hit another car. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the hospital with both of her arms broken. Her dominant arm snapped in multiple places.
“And my arm was open, both of them, but my right one was open,” Allen said. “When it first happened I couldn’t pick up a pencil, it was broke too bad.”
Nine surgeries, two metal rods, and dozens of stitches later, doctors told her she could finally begin the healing process.
“He said ‘You’re all good’ and I said ‘huh? What do you mean I’m all good?’ and he said ‘I don’t have to cut off your arm’,” Allen said.
So it was back to the basics for this college sophomore.
“I had to learn how to write again, so what I did was I started off just writing my ABCs and writing my numbers every day,” Allen said.
While reteaching herself how to write with her right hand, she also learned how to write with her left to get her schoolwork done. She was able to work through the pain and maintain her good grades.
“I’m really joyful just to be here, in this moment, it’s amazing,” Allen said.
Allen is the youngest of GSU’s Fall Class of 2020, set to get her education degree with hopes of becoming a teacher.
She said she wouldn’t have gotten this far without the support of her GSU family, professors, and most importantly her faith.
“So this process really taught me a lot of patience, you know, how everything is not on my time,” Allen said. “You definitely have to be patient and know that it’s God’s time.”
Unfortunately someone did die due to the crash. The passenger in the other car, Shermise Ford-Samuels of Mansfield. She was 47 at that time. Allen said that’s something she carries with her daily.
