Hoping for a miracle

Everyone, it seemed, was ready to give up on her daughter.

Not Diana Witt.

She believed in her daughter. She believed that despite the injuries suffered in a car crash, her daughter could recover.

It was a long shot.

Serena had not only suffered crushed ribs and a broken collarbone, the left side of her skull had been pushed into her brain.

For eight weeks, the 23-year-old Serena was on life support and in a coma. Doctors told Diana Witt that if her daughter didn't come out of the coma soon, her chances of surviving grew slimmer each day. And even if she did, she might be deaf, blind, disabled.

Witt wasn't buying it.

"I didn't want to settle for that. I kept pushing the doctors, I kept wanting answers. I kept saying, 'What can we do?'"

For 10 weeks, Serena remained hospitalized. She couldn't talk or walk. She couldn't dress or feed herself.

"I almost lost her three times in the hospital," her mom said.

But Diana Witt insisted that extensive therapy, five days a week, continued for her daughter, and it did.

That was five years ago.

Today, 28-year-old Serena Streeper lives in Coeur d'Alene with her mom and stepfather. She is fit, young, dark eyes and long, dark hair.

"The scars have healed. I look normal," she said.

She still sees a doctor for lingering effects of that crash. She suffers migraine headaches, short-term memory loss and seizures. But that she woke up from that coma, that she recovered to walk and talk and smile and laugh, is simply amazing, her mom said.

"She broke the mold that said it shouldn't have happened," Witt said. "I say it was a miracle because nothing else can explain it."

With that, she looks at Darby Lopp, lying in bed, motionless, at her Coeur d'Alene home.

"She was lying in bed, just like Darby," Witt said.

The 14-year-old suffered a severe brain injury in an accident on Sept. 2. She was with friends, riding on the bumper of a van, when she fell and struck her head.

Since, she's undergone several brain surgeries, most recently on Dec. 12 to replace three parts of her skull that had been removed to relieve the pressure of swelling on her brain.

Thursday night, she rested in bed, her blue eyes gazing straight up at the ceiling. On one wall are the words "Faith, Hope and Love."

Witt and Serena were on each side of the bed, with Darby's dad, Mark Lopp, standing next to it, as well.

When Witt heard of Darby's accident, it brought back flashes of Serena, how few believed she could recover, how so many doubted she could be the Serena of old.

"It hit home," she said.

So Witt contacted Mark Lopp, offering support, encouragement, anything so he could hold on to hope that Darby might one day be Darby again.

She remembers what it was like, what she needed as a parent.

"It was a lot of positive people around me, a lot of people pulling for Serena," Witt said. "We had a lot of support. That's what you need to get through this. It's so hard on your own to try to conquer a condition all by yourself. You need help."

Help is one thing Mark Lopp could use right about now.

Medicaid coverage for Darby may be about to end, Mark said, because she isn't showing necessary signs of recovery.

The stories between Serena and Darby, he said, have many similarities, and he's hoping for a similar outcome.

"It was amazing how the pictures of Serena and Darby early on are very similar," he said.

What happened

Darby was an outgoing teen who enjoyed hanging out at the beach. The Woodland Middle School graduate was a C to B student, her dad said, but scored at the advanced level in every subject on the ISATs.

"She was smarter than her grades," he said.

Darby was looking forward to attending Lake City High School, and was with friends Sept. 2, Labor Day weekend, a few days before school was set to start, when she fell from a van bumper and struck her head as they drove near the Centennial Trail.

A doctor out for a run, Alyssa Shaw, stopped and may have saved Darby's life.

"Darby would have died if she didn't open her airway at that time," Mark Lopp said.

Darby was taken to Kootenai Medical Center and later transferred to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. She has undergone three brain surgeries, and had parts of her skull removed to relieve pressure on her swelling brain.

Early on, there were signs of recovery. She wiggled her toes and fingers when asked, and gave a thumbs up. But her dad said progress has been "very, very little, very slow."

On Sept. 27, she was removed from life support. Mark Lopp said his daughter wasn't expected to survive long, but proved her doubters wrong.

On Oct. 24, she was released to go home, where she needs 24-hour care. She receives physical, occupational and speech therapy. A family that lives with the Lopps helps look after her, along with a few volunteers and Darby's dad.

But Mark said while Darby's condition qualified for Medicaid coverage, that could be about to end.

"She needs to show some communication and improvement to have Medicaid fund her therapy," he said. "And she is at the point of running out of that."

"We're looking at a week or two, unless there is some improvement," he said.

Without Medicaid, Mark can't afford the at-home, intensive therapy for Darby, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars. It will leave him relying on himself and volunteers to watch after Darby, change her, bathe her, carry out her therapy.

"I'm doing it on my own, unless somebody gives us a bunch of money," said Mark Lopp, who is trying to start a nonprofit, Darby House, for minors in a similar situation.

Friends comment

The Lopps are not alone.

On Facebook, friends have sent well wishes.

"Merry Christmas Darby and family. I believe in miracles and Darby is one of them. I hope you are blessed with more progress for Christmas! I will definitely be praying." - Suzy Havlicek

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE ENTIRE DARBY TEAM!!! I PRAY YOU GET WHAT YOU ALL ASKED SANTA FOR! KEEP UP THE GREAT PROGRESS DARBY!!! LOVE TO YOU ALL!!! GO DARBY GO!"- Dawn Garvin

"Merry Christmas Mark. You, Darby and all who care for her are in my prayers every day. Keep up the good work and stay strong. You know you are doing a great job - even if some might [not] agree so just ignore them and keep your [head] up (I know, much easier said than done). I'm sure 2013 will bring many good things to you all. Go Darby go!! - Patty Sandstrom Jelmberg

"I know that you and Darby are in God's hands with all the people praying for you. You can be encouraged that you are not in Minnesota this cold below zero morning! -Terrance Estenson

Good days, bad days, but never give up

Lopp, regional sales manager for Blue Water Technologies, has lived in Coeur d'Alene for nearly 10 years. He admits it's been tough looking after Darby. There have been numerous emergencies and trips to the hospital - a tube was pulled out, she had a fever.

"There's good days and bad days. Christmas was real tough," he said.

Diana Witt listens and nods.

"He's barely holding up," she said.

Witt is hoping medical professionals will hear of Darby's situation and volunteer. Darby needs intensive therapy five days a week, Witt said, just like Serena did.

"This is just as critical as the beginning, right here. She needs to be given one heckuva chance to beat this thing."

Serena recalls being in the hospital after her accident, lying in bed. She was awake and could hear and see what was going on around her, but couldn't respond. She could hear her mom's voice.

"I still couldn't talk," Serena said. "I had to learn to do all that again."

She said Darby could be in that same place.

"I remember feeling that, feeling trapped, I just wanted to yell to have people hear me. People would talk about me like I wasn't there and it was like I just wanted to say, 'Look at me, I'm right here.'"

As Serena says that, Darby suddenly begins opening and closing her mouth, as if she's trying to get words to come out, as if she wants to say something. Her body seems to be pushing and reaching. But there are no words. And then she rests, still, again.

Diana Witt notices this.

"Look at Darby," she said. "She's trying."

Little things like that, Serena said, shouldn't be overlooked.

"It's so easy for people to give up when things aren't turning up the right way," she said.

Darby, she believes, is still fighting. Darby is still there.

"She's got time," Serena said.