Campus Celebrity Status: the summer after graduating high school, Regan Olvey was loving life and getting ready for college—until one day, she experienced a traumatic brain injury that not only changed everything, but also made her one of the strongest and most inspirational collegiettes™ at Ohio State. Regan’s journey to recovery has been riddled with disappointment and setbacks—but like a true role model and campus celebrity, she takes all challenges in stride. She has made incredible recoveries in a short amount of time, and against all odds, is back in school and thriving.
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business/Marketing
Hometown: Upper Arlington, OH
What was your life like before the accident?
Before the accident, during high school, I was really active. I was a Varsity cheerleader, rode and participated in horse competitions, and ran almost every day. I was planning on starting Ohio State that fall (2009) in the Honors program.
Can you tell us about what happened?
I was riding at my grandparents’ farm up in Canada, and the horse tripped and fell [bringing me down too and causing me to hit my head]. It was a complete fluke, because I’d been riding horses all my life.
After I fell, I spent two weeks in the Toronto hospital’s ICU. Then, they took me back to Columbus, to Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital. I spent a month there with 24/7 therapy. Then, after I moved home, I spent another 9 months in therapy. It took me another three months to walk on my own unassisted. Finally, in March, I made it back to school for Spring Quarter.
Can you explain exactly what your injury is?
It is a traumatic brain injury, which means there is swelling and bleeding in the brain. Because I hit the right side of my head when I fell, it left my left side partially paralyzed, so my coordination was affected. There are also three weeks of my life where I don’t remember anything.
What went through your mind when you first became aware of what happened?
At first, I thought I was in a dream—every night when I went to bed, I would think that in the morning I’d wake up and it would all have been a dream.
Then, one day, at five in the morning, I woke up and asked my boyfriend at the time, who was visiting me, if it was a dream. He said no, and that’s when it actually hit me. We spent the next two hours going over what had happened, and I found out I wasn’t going to be able to go to school, or ride, or any of that.
What helped you get through your time in recovery?
My family definitely was a huge support. And my physical therapist, Amber, was just phenomenal. She made me so motivated, that I didn’t even cry while I was there. It wasn’t until after I left the hospital that I started getting depressed about it and everything.
When was the last time you went in for a checkup?
My last appointment was back last May, but things are still not the same as they were. Especially coordination-wise and school-wise, it is a lot harder [than it was before the accident]. Because of my injury and not being able to do anything for months, I also lost a lot of friends over it.
How has your injury impacted you as a person?
I’ve changed—now I have a different point of view on things. I’m a lot more empathetic, I have a hard time holding judgment, and I’m more likely to trust people.
Besides causing a detour in your freshman year, how else has your injury changed your plans?
I want to go back to the places that helped me, and to work with people. I especially want to work with the National Brain Injury Association and to work with hippotherapy (horse therapy). Although I had volunteered with hippotherapy before, it was not until after the accident that I rode therapeutically too. It definitely contributed to me getting back on my feet so fast. Because I volunteered so often, they started giving me free lessons!
How has your injury affected your life currently?
In school, it is so much harder now, attention- and memory-wise. As a result, it has definitely taken longer to figure out what to do, because school’s so much more difficult. I used to want to do Physical Therapy but because science classes have been so challenging, I had to find a new route of study to help prepare me to do what I want to do. I also still suffer with coordination issues, and only recently was I able to finally get back into running.
Besides school, what else is keeping you busy?
I am involved in [the sorority] Kappa Kappa Gamma, and I work at a gym during the week. Someday I want to write a book on what happened.
What advice do you have for young women going through a life-changing experience?
Perseverance. No matter how bad it gets, always be strong and persevere.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter.
