By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Not many cars pass through the all-gravel intersection of Northwest 40th Street and Northeast 50th Avenue five miles east of St. John in rural Stafford County. On a Wednesday afternoon in December, however, lives were changed forever when two vehicles converged on the intersection at the same time.
A 21-year-old driver from Mississippi was northbound at the intersection when his Dodge pickup struck a Saturn SUV that had entered the intersection from the east. Seventeen-year-old Trace Ritterhouse of Ellinwood barely survived the crash which killed two people, including Ritterhouse's best friend.
"When Trace arrived in the trauma unit at Wesley, they didn't give us much hope of him surviving the night," said Trace's mother, Sandra Hopkins. "He has what's called a DAI of the corpus callosum. That was the most severe of his injuries. That was the main brain injury. Usually, less than 10 percent survival."
A diffuse axonal injury, or DAI, is a stretching or shearing of white matter fibers in the brain. The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that allows the brain to communicate with other vital organs in the body, such as the heart and lungs. Trace made it through the first 24 hours, but doctors turned their concerns to the next three days.
"He wasn't showing much progress after that 72 hours," Hopkins said. "He was having what's called 'brainstorming.' The DAI of the corpus callosum is, in a nutshell, where the brain talks to the rest of the body, and the two hemispheres communicate back and forth. Trace's was sheared."
While Trace remained in a coma, a bolt was inserted into his skull so doctors could monitor pressure from swelling. Nearly a month after the Dec. 7 accident, doctors were ready to remove part of Trace's skull to relieve the pressure. A CT scan confirmed the decision, but an MRI indicated the bolt was not working correctly. Doctors decided to bring Trace out of the medically-induced coma. He was barely responsive coming out of the coma, but was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals in Lincoln, Neb. on Jan. 5.
The Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning Scale measures recovery for patients with traumatic brain injuries. Trace registered at level one upon entering Madonna. "That is not really opening his eyes, not responding to stimulation, no words, no anything," Hopkins said. "He was pretty much just there."
But Trace continues to defy the odds with one miracle after another. He's closing in on level six on the scale, and can now communicate, walk, and eat with limitations. The brain injury weakened the entire left side of his body, making walking and speaking difficult.
"He has very little short-term memory so we have the same conversations multiple times a day, but his long-term memory is coming back," said Hopkins. "He's remembering his friends, places he went, and things about home.
"He started singing to songs this weekend. That's the first time he's done that. His long-term, every day something new pops into his mind that he remembers from the past."
Trace is likely to return home before the end of the month. Even six months after the crash, doctors are unsure of how far Trace will progress.
"That's one thing I've learned about Madonna," Hopkins said. "They do not give a prognosis. Every brain injury is different. Everybody's healing is different. He has made amazing strides and they've been very consistent in saying you wake up one day and that may be as far as he ever goes. But Trace has proven otherwise."
Even a homecoming is proving to be difficult. The Hopkins hired a contractor to help bring Trace's home into ADA compliance. The project was a massive failure but local contractors have stepped in to fix the mess. Richard Doll at Doll Insurance has provided a crew, and Colton Garrett has taken over the remodel with an eye for details.
Other businesses, friends, and complete strangers have held fundraisers for Trace and his family. Kayla Rhoades helped line up contractors to fix the bathroom debacle and started a fundraiser. A Medicine Lodge woman, a survivor who overcame her own traumatic brain injury to become a trauma nurse, has proven to be an invaluable resource.
"I have been completely overwhelmed, to the point of tears, on numerous occasions, by how much our village has risen to the occasion of supporting Trace and our family," said Hopkins. "The outpouring of support and prayers, not just from Ellinwood but from Barton County as a whole. His story has spread all over the country. I get messages from people from all over the country that they're following his story and what an incredible inspiration he has been. The support and love shown to our family, there are no words to describe it. He has touched many lives."
Trace's time at Madonna may be coming to an end but his goals are not. He is saving one of his biggest for his return to Ellinwood.
"Trace has developed enough cognition that he has set his own goals," said Hopkins. "His main goal when he goes home is he wants to walk into our home. He says, 'I don't want to go in the first time this wheelchair. I want to walk in.'"
A family friend has already constructed a wheelchair ramp at the house for Trace, and Sandra said that level of community support has been a saving grace for the family.
"I want our community to know that their prayers have worked," she said. "Their support is working miracles. Trace continues to astonish us every day with everything they said he would never be able to do. He's breaking all the rules.
"Trace's amazing recovery wouldn't have been possible without the medical staff and therapists at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. Their state-of-the-art equipment and personnel are second to none. Angels work and miracles happen within these walls. In the nearly six months we have been here, they have truly become family."
Multiple fundraisers have been held for Trace and family over the past six months. Sunflower Bank in Ellinwood is still accepting donations that will go directly into a savings account for the family. Checks can be made to Sandra Hopkins with "Trace Ritterhouse" in the memo line. Funds can also be sent directly to the family via the Venmo app.
Trace is the son of Hopkins and Lyle Ritterhouse, and Anthony Hopkins is his bonus dad.