DAILY Photo by Emily Saunders Wreck victim Morgan Lowery, 16, walks down the hall with her physical therapist, Dale Griffith, at Decatur General Hospital.

Against all odds
Trinity teen shows dramatic recovery after wreck

By Kristen Bishop
DAILY Staff Writer
kbishop@decaturdaily.com · 340-2443

TRINITY — Less than three months after doctors told her she'd probably never walk again, Morgan Lowery has taken her first steps.

The 16-year-old Trinity girl is fighting to recover from a fiery traffic accident and to leave her wheelchair behind.

Lowery, a junior at East Lawrence High School, and her mother, Charlotte Lowery, were driving to a doctor appointment July 18 when a car hit them head on. The car's driver, Roger Lowery (no relation), appeared to have died instantly, according to Assistant Coroner David Parks.

Motorists pulled Charlotte and Morgan Lowery from their vehicle about two minutes before it burst into flames.

Charlotte Lowery suffered three broken ribs, a broken clavicle and two punctured lungs.

Morgan Lowery went to Huntsville Hospital, where she underwent surgery for a broken back and spinal cord injury. She spent 30 days at Shepherd Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation and returned home in a wheelchair Aug. 23.

At that time, doctors said a full recovery was unlikely.

Reevaluating the plan

Dale Griffith, Morgan's physical therapist at Decatur General's rehabilitation unit, said his initial goal was to strengthen her torso so she could move more freely in her wheelchair, but her rapid progress has him reevaluating the plan.

"I think her improvement is going to be a lot better than what I originally thought," said Griffith.

To the amazement of doctors and family, Morgan is walking short distances with a wheeled walker and leg braces. Two weeks ago, less than two months after her return, she walked more than 70 feet down a hallway at the hospital.

"She was just wiggling her toes when we left Shepherd's," said her father, Delane Lowery. "They were really just trying to help her function as is at that point. I don't think anyone expected this so soon."

Griffith assists Morgan Lowery with stretching exercises and strength training during their therapy sessions two or three times a week. He said her attitude and support from her family and friends have given her the strength to improve more quickly than expected.

"We were seeing some of the strength she was getting and decided to give the walker a shot," he said. "When we got her on her feet, she just took off."

Morgan Lowery said she never doubted that she would be able to walk again and gave credit to her faith in God for her recovery.

"I just had faith from the very beginning that God would get me through this, and he did," she said.

When she's not attending physical therapy sessions or exercising at home, Morgan is an active student at her high school. She is on the yearbook staff, Leo Club, Mu Alpha Theta and Spirit Club.

She is above average in spirit and faith, said her mother, but is definitely a normal teenager. Like many teens, she has a MySpace.com page, and after her therapy session Monday, she immediately checked her cell phone for text messages.

She said her friends support her, but she is still having a difficult time adjusting to the wheelchair.

"It just takes me forever to get ready to go anywhere," she said. "The hardest part is the transfers ... like when I have to move from the bed to the chair. I have to decide exactly where I'm going to put my feet before I move, and it just takes a long time."

Charlotte Lowery is also recovering from her injuries and attends physical therapy with her daughter. She is now able to walk with a cane, but needs assistance throughout the day. She said she and her daughter can't go anywhere without her husband, who owns L&L Pools in Trinity.

"It was difficult at first with work and taking care of everybody, but it's getting a lot better," Delane Lowery said. "For a while, I wouldn't get to bed until around 11:30, and I was so stressed, I would just lay there dreaming about sleep for an hour or so. But now, Charlotte can take care of herself a lot better, and so can Morgan."

Griffith said he now believes that Morgan will be able to walk freely one day. They are working on strengthening her legs so she can lock her knees without braces, and hope to move her to a reciprocal walker soon.

"A reciprocal walker doesn't have wheels, but it'll require more trunk control," he said. "We've tried it once, and she was able to take a few steps. She has come a long way."

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