- March 28, 2024
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Doctors said she’d never wake up from her coma. Elizabeth Restrepo, they said, would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.
At only 2 years old, her life was supposed to be just starting.
“You’re not sure if she’s going to live or die,” said mom Laura Restrepo. “Your head is in a million different directions.”
Twenty years ago, Elizabeth went outside on her own, climbed over an above-the-ground pool’s side and fell in the water. She was drowning until her brother found her and she was raced to the hospital. She spent three months in a coma, and the prognosis was dismal. But Laura wouldn’t believe the doctors who said her daughter would never walk, talk, see or wake up again. She focused on what Elizabeth could do— hear. They played the radio for her constantly, always talking to her, waiting for a reaction.
“I could not fathom that that’s the reality,” Laura said. “I fought for her all the time.”
Laura was kicked out of meetings with doctors, and described in their notes as “a mother in denial.” But then Elizabeth’s eyesight came back, she started moving on her own, eating and getting stronger. Soon, she was strong enough to move out of the hospital and enter a rehabilitation center. Then she worked her way back home to Maitland and started her therapy at Winter Park’s Easter Seals of Florida (ESF), a non-profit organization that provides services and support to people with special needs and their caregivers, 18 years ago. Now, at 22, she works there.
Elizabeth has heard many times that she wouldn’t amount to much or that she couldn’t do it, but she never listened.
“I’m going to prove you all wrong,” Elizabeth said. “I’m living proof you can overcome it.”
She’s overcome many obstacles throughout her life since the accident. She had to relearn everything; all her natural instincts were gone. She learned to walk, talk, socialize and even fall again. ESF helped her do that.
“They were the foundation,” Laura said.
For more information about Easter Seals Florida (ESF), visit fl.easterseals.com. The Winter Park ESF is located at 2010 Mizell Ave.
Elizabeth still has tough times. Her short-term memory isn’t good, and sometimes she can’t remember what happened yesterday. Her fine motor skills are an obstacle, and tasks like buttoning tiny buttons are impossible. She learns a little bit slower than average, but she works hard. There are times when these problems lead to little complications, especially when it comes to her memory. She and her mom normally just make a joke about it. They’re powerfully positive.
“We laugh about it,” Elizabeth said. “That’s how we get through every day.”
Elizabeth worked hard to graduate from high school and has become a caregiver for the ESF clients with Alzheimer’s who attend their Day Break adult day center. She helps them with all their personal needs, and most importantly, is a friend. Before that, she was a volunteer there for 10 years. She’s the most experienced person out on their floor, said Susan Ventura, chief executive officer of ESF. Ventura has known Elizabeth for 18 years, and has loved watching her grow into a woman who contributes so much to society — when the world said she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
“She’s an example of our mission,” Ventura said.
Laura said Elizabeth relates to their clients like no one else, because of her own struggles.
“She doesn’t judge, ever,” Laura said.
“I felt very connected with them,” Elizabeth said. “I’m doing my part for them.”
Next year she hopes to head to college to get her certified nursing assistant license and eventually move out on her own. To think, the doctors never imagined her getting out of bed again.
“Never give up,” Elizabeth said. “When somebody tells you that you can’t do something, prove them wrong because you can amount to anything you put your mind to.”