DUNWOODY, Ga. — A UGA student who suffered a traumatic brain injury on a ski trip is making huge strides in his recovery.
Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes was there Thursday during his last physical training exam at the Shepherd Center.
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Ayden Slipsager remembers being in this same hallway of the DeKalb County Shepherd Center just a month ago trying to run.
On the last day of his physical training, he’s running, hopping, skipping and climbing stairs just eight weeks after a Colorado ski accident left him with temporary paralysis - after his fall - cracked his helmet.
While he was laid up in the bed out of state, feeling like he may never walk again, his family started a GoFundMe page to get him on a medical flight back home to Atlanta.
His mother Tami Slipsager never imagined the love and support her family would get from strangers worldwide.
“it gives you a new lease on humanity and how people are - and truly do care and love others. I just have never experienced anything like this before,” she said.
“First, I just wanna say thank you and I’m really grateful for all of you. it’s really nice to have people looking out for me,” Ayden Slipsager said.
Her has a team of friends at the Shepherd Center who cheer him on in every way.
As Ayden Slipsager moves forward, getting back to his normal life before the accident, he said he’ll never forget this journey
“You meet people you have something in common with - whether it’s a traumatic brain injury or something of that sort. It’s like you can connect with them on a different level, so it’s really nice,” Ayden Slipsager said.
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