A teenage girl who was crushed by a massive tree and survived traumatic injuries walked out of an Orange County hospital Friday.
Teresa Johnston, 14, of Irvine, was walking her neighbor's dogs just a few blocks from her house on Feb. 17 when a 60-foot tree fell and crushed her body. The pine tree had become unstable after rain storms pummeled Southern California, a statement from her lawyer read.
The enormous tree fell on the upper half of her body, "causing multiple fractures to her head, face and spine, and severe brain trauma," according to her lawyer. Johnston underwent several surgeries and was in an induced coma for days while her parents, family and friends prayed for her recovery.
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"It was one thing after another and we saw life come back to our little baby," said her father, Roch Johnston.
Just before her 14th birthday, she emerged from her coma, started to make eye contact and began moving her fingers and toes.
Each of her six siblings were by her side as she fought through reconstructive surgeries and relearned how to walk and talk.
"It was miraculous just to see her toe flickering, or she'd lift her arm, or her eyes would start fluttering." her sister Misha Johnston said. "Every time she did that we were like, 'Oh! Look at her eyes! Look at you!' It was so beautiful."
On Friday, she was able to walk out of the hospital where she was greeted by dozens of people with posters and balloons.
Along with physical, speech and occupational therapies, Johnston needs at least three more surgeries. She also suffers from a lot of pain, but "doctors and her family believe that her progress is nothing short of a miracle," read the statement from her lawyer.
A YouCaring page has been created to help with the family's medical expenses.
