When Teighan’s mother, Heather, received a call from one of her friends in June 2025, she immediately knew something was wrong.
Teighan had fallen from the back of a truck while spending time with friends. At first, no one understood how serious the injury was. But as the situation unfolded, it became clear she needed emergency care immediately.
911 was called, and Teighan was rushed to a local Level I trauma hospital in Southern New Hampshire before being transported that same night by Boston MedFlight to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center for advanced neurological care.
“She didn’t need immediate surgery at the local hospital,” her mother recalled, “but she needed a higher level of care than what they could provide.”
The first few days were critical.
“It was minute by minute,” Heather said. “We weren’t sure what the prognosis would be.”
At Lahey, doctors immediately placed a bolt to monitor the pressure in Teighan’s brain—but despite every effort, her condition worsened.
“On day four, it was decided that she was not progressing in a positive way,” Heather said. “She required surgery—a craniectomy—to remove part of her skull to allow her brain to swell and heal.”
For Teighan’s family, the uncertainty was overwhelming.
“We didn’t know what the next few hours would bring. Whether she would walk or talk or remember us—or even wake up.”
But she did. And in the weeks and months that followed, Teighan began making progress that her family and medical team could hardly believe.
While her recovery was gradual, in many ways, it also happened remarkably quickly considering the severity of her injury.
Step by step, she regained her speech, coordination, and independence, and though there were challenges and setbacks along the way, Teighan continued pushing forward.
By the fall, she was able to return to her senior year of high school — another milestone that once felt uncertain in those early days after her injury. Before long, she was driving again, continuing to reclaim pieces of the life her family feared she might never fully return to. Even now, her recovery amazes the people who cared for her.
Now 18 years old, Teighan is preparing for an exciting new chapter: college. This fall, she will attend Saint Joseph’s College of Maine to study nursing. Her decision to pursue healthcare comes from both family experience and her own recovery journey.
“My brother has Down syndrome and autism and has always needed support,” Teighan explained. “I grew up seeing nurses and caregivers helping him, and I always thought it was amazing.”
Then came her own experience as a patient.
“I was just set on wanting to be a nurse,” she said. “I want to help people medically, physically, and emotionally. I really want to be able to change lives like that. I’m especially interested in labor and delivery or emergency medicine. I’ve always loved babies and I want to have the experience of helping bring life into the world.”
As Teighan and her family look back on everything they endured, they say the care they received from Boston MedFlight left a lasting impact far beyond the transport itself.
Throughout the difficult weeks and months that followed — from recovery to navigating billing, insurance, and claims — her family felt supported every step of the way.
“Through all of the challenges afterward — billing, insurance, claims — Boston MedFlight has been one of the only organizations that really realized there was a human being on the other side of it,” her mother said. “They understood this was life changing. We almost lost Teighan.”
Rather than adding stress during an already difficult time, Boston MedFlight helped ease the burden so the family could focus on healing.
“They’ve really taken that pressure off us,” she said, “so we could just celebrate Teighan being here.”
Even now, Teighan’s recovery continues to amaze the people who cared for her.
“Her doctors don’t understand it. Her therapy team doesn’t understand it,” her mother said. “With the level of trauma she experienced, she should not be driving and walking and talking and doing all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is.”
Her family credits the rapid emergency response and specialized transport with saving her life.
“It really was because of the quick emergency support and that flight that got her to the specialists who helped save her life,” Heather said. “It’s really hard to watch your child fly away, but it’s comforting to know the people caring for her are highly trained and qualified.”
Today, Teighan is looking ahead — to college, to nursing school, and to a future dedicated to caring for others the same way she was cared for. And for her family, every milestone feels extraordinary.
“She did wake up,” her mother said. “And she has continued to be a miracle ever since.”
