When Jennifer Rowland received the phone call that would alter the path that her life would take, she was going about her December day in a manner that was otherwise unremarkable. At the age of twenty, her son, Davin, had been involved in an automobile accident.
As Jennifer recalls in an exclusive interview with People, “It was a Friday at ten in the morning,” she was referring to the time. Due to the fact that I am both a nurse and a lactation consultant, I was present in the hospital at the time. Despite the fact that I was with a patient, my phone continued ringing, and I didn’t pick it up until I realized that it was my son’s direct supervisor calling.
An 18-wheeler drove out in front of Davin’s work vehicle as he was on his way to a job site. Davin, who was working as a land surveyor for an engineering business when he wasn’t attending college, had been on his way to the job site. When the truck, in which Davin was a passenger, suddenly veered to the side, it collided with the rear of the semi. Passenger side was the only side that was affected by the accident.
“His boss said there’s been a horrible accident, they were working to get Davin out of the vehicle, and he would meet us at the Memphis trauma center, about 20 miles away,” she told the news organization.
While Jennifer was in the midst of a flurry of emotions, she contacted her husband, David, and the two of them drove together. While everything was going on, their kid was on his own trip, which started with him being stuck inside the truck for about an hour while rescuers used the jaws of life to pull him out of the vehicle.
“A little community in the Mississippi Delta was the location where the accident took place. Jennifer explains that because of the cloud cover, they were unable to use the helicopter to transport him to the hospital. “So it took about an hour-and-a-half for him to get to the hospital by ambulance.”
It was during those agonizing first hours that Jennifer and David experienced a number of what they now refer to as “miraculous” occurrences, even though they were unaware of this fact at the time.
“Even though the air team couldn’t fly the helicopter, they showed up via ambulance to assist,” Jennifer is quoted as saying. A paramedic who was not on duty at the time of the accident also heard about it, and he arrived to the spot and joined Davin in the truck. Despite the fact that he was entangled in this mass of metal, they were able to reach his face and his arm, which allowed him to administer oxygen and an intravenous line to him.
As soon as Jennifer and David were able to communicate with the medical staff at the hospital, they were informed of the information that they dreaded the most: he was in a coma, and there was very little that the medical staff could do to save his life.
David was not receptive to my questions. Jennifer remembers that not only were his pupils unequal, but he was also posturing, which means that his arms and legs were doing actions that are characteristic of a brain damage. “They gave us the worst diagnosis: a devastating neurological injury.” It was even advised by one physician that palliative care be considered.
There is no way that David and Jennifer would agree to such idea.
“Our faith would not allow us to think the worst,” she explains to me.
After about twenty-four hours, the outlook had changed. While Davin remained in a coma, a neurosurgeon informed the couple that he could not find any evidence to imply that he had suffered the shortage of oxygen to the brain that the physicians had previously believed he had endured.
Jennifer explains, “That neurosurgeon gave us our first hope,” and she is right. It was him who said, “I have hope for him. He is young, and he is in good health.'”
Despite this, Davin was going to emerge from his coma after a lengthy period of recuperation.
“I was expecting it to be like the movies, where their eyes open and they say, ‘How did I get here?'” Jennifer has said. “That is not at all how it is at all. It is a manifestation that is extremely delicate and very slow. There would be a little flicker of the eye to begin… The only thing I would say is, “Lord, please allow me to see the whites of his eyes and allow me to see my baby’s eyes once more.”
They eventually opened their doors. Additionally, the next week, they opened a little bit more, with Davin doing a room inspection. He then started wriggling his toes in response to the order. Then, there was an even more profound change.
“It took probably two-and-a-half weeks from the time his eyes began to open before he really woke up and I will never forget that moment,” according to Jennifer. “There were so many things that he performed that the doctors would say, ‘Oh, it’s just in his reflexes.’ On a particular occasion, however, I requested that he give me a thumbs up, and his thumb just glided through the air. To be honest, you can’t say no to a thumbs up. It’s not a reflex at all.”
According to Jennifer, Davin suffered a fracture in his jaw in two different locations, as well as a portion of his nose and the region behind his eye, but all of these injuries “healed basically on his own.” It was the brain damage that provided the greatest amount of concern.
After spending 41 days in the trauma center, he was first sent to extended care and then, not long after that, he was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which is a facility that specializes in rehabilitation for patients who have had brain and spinal cord injuries.
In spite of the fact that the medical professionals had first predicted that Davin would never walk again, he was able to walk again without any help only eight months after the injury.
According to Davin, Davin’s father, “They sent us with a walker,” he told PeopleMagazine. Within a span of two weeks, he converted from using it to using a cane. After a further two weeks had passed, he eventually became capable of walking without any help.
As Jennifer continues to speak through her emotions, she says, “It was just like a child learning to walk.” When I would say, “Take a step to me,” I would stretch out my arms and he would take it, and I would weep and rejoice at the same time. It was as if he were all over again, taking his first steps.
These early moments have served as defining characteristics of Davin’s rehabilitation. They include his first grin, his first giggle, and his first “Hi, Mom,” all of which are reminders of the adolescent that he had perpetually been.
According to Davin, who spoke to PEOPLE in a soft voice, his two brothers, one of whom is 18 years old and the other of whom is 14 years old, as well as his fiancée, have also contributed to his recuperation.
His words are, “They’ve been doing well.”
Now that their lives have been irrevocably altered, Davin’s parents have expressed their optimism over the future, despite the fact that they admit that the schedule has been altered. Davin, who had previously attempted to enroll at a community college, had been granted admission to Mississippi State University and intended to enroll there in the next academic year. At this point, that plan has been put on hold; nonetheless, the family continues to be sure that it is just a matter of time until he enrolls in school.
“Just to watch him overcome things … His attitude has been amazing,” Jennifer adds in response. “Of all the things that may cause him to be upset, he has never shown that anger. Inspiring, not just for us but also for a great number of other people.
According to David, who is in agreement with this statement, “If we heard it once, we heard it a million times: recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.” Our belief is that he is capable of making a complete recovery. Patience, time, and effort are all necessary components. Moreover, he has all of that.”
@jrow_102403 God deserves all the glory for this miracle. Thank you for all the prayers, please keep them coming 💚#prayersfordavin #tbirecovery #tbisurvivor #DAI #shepherdcenter #miracles #prayers #thankful #home ♬ Home – Daughtry
@jrow_102403 Pt 2- Davin’s TBI journey for those who asked. It’s definitley a marathon and not a sprint but we will continue to work hard with the help of God’s grace and his amazing medical team. We are so grateful for all those who have played a part in his journey. Thank you all for the continued prayers❤️ #prayersfordavin #tbisurvivor #tbirecovery #DAI #miracle #thankful #prayers ♬ Counting My Blessings – Seph Schlueter