HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A reminder of the worst day of his life sits in Ronald Brown's Apollo Beach driveway.
"Even though I had no control over it, it's the worst feeling. You just feel numb," he said.
The above picture is evidence of his daughter Rebekah Mejia's nearly-fatal accident on U.S. 301 near Riverview—as she was heading to work in late august.
"When she changing lanes, somebody kind of nipped her in the rear corner panel, which turned her towards the median onto oncoming traffic and that's when the tow truck t-boned her," said Brown.
The 22-year-old was left with facial fractures, internal bleeding, and swelling in the brain so bad that doctors had to remove a piece of her skull.
She was also in a coma.
But despite the odds, her mom—Jenene Mejia—says two months later, Rebekah is making progress.
"Like when you go like this to the bottom of her foot, she'll move her toes, she'll move her feet, she'll pull her feet back. She'll grab your hand," she said.
Jenene says doctors are now focused on keeping Rebekah infection-free for at least the next two months—so they can replace the missing piece of her skull, give her an infusion in her neck and eventually send her home.
It's a journey that's far from over, but Rebekah's family says it's one they couldn't have done without community support.
"If it wasn't for friends and family praying. I don't know where I'd be, how I'd be handling it," said Jenene.
And that community support will continue this weekend as a car show will be held in Rebekah's honor.
The goal is to raise money to help the family prepare their home and vehicle for when she is discharged.
The family has also started a GoFundme pageto help collect donations.
