Grand Rapids Standout athlete recovering from brain injury

By Steve Vedder The Grand Rapids Press GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- As Mary Kathryn Lefere lined up for the Catholic Central High School cross country race Oct. 18, her only focus was to experience once again the blessing of simply being allowed to run. Finishing the race's 3.1-mile course would cap a seven-month journey after nearly dying in a March car accident. Her close friend, Allie Trudgeon, ran along beside her, and her parents, David and Kathie Lefere, watched from the sidelines as friends and total strangers stood along the course, cheering her on. Members of the boys' and girls' cross country teams joined the pair for the race's final 500 yards. "There was a huge lump in my throat," her father said. Lefere spent the day at Catholic Central excitedly pulling aside friends to tell them doctors gave her a thumbs-up to compete in that afternoon's OK Gold junior varsity cross country meet. Her friends were taken aback when Lefere announced she was ready to compete. "I told everyone I was going to run, and they were, like, 'No, you're not,'" Lefere said. "I was excited. Honestly, all day I was so excited. I just wanted to be out there, because I've always loved cross country." Lefere was driving home March 5 after staying overnight at a friend's home following Catholic Central's win against Comstock Park in the girls' basketball district final. Her car struck a tree after colliding with another vehicle. While the only mark on her was a cut above an eyebrow, Lefere suffered major trauma and swelling around the brain and was rushed to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. "They weren't being positive, but didn't rule out hope," David Lefere said. "We knew it was a very serious situation." Doctors placed Lefere in a medically induced coma and told the family the swelling would peak at three days. They determined Lefere had suffered a "shearing of the brain" -- the stretching and tearing of nerve cells that make up the brain. Even the slightest body movement could be critical, the family was told. Doctors weren't even sure if she was registering brain waves. As the swelling gradually lessened, there were positive signs. Lefere's blood pressure remained strong, and the brain, which is more likely to be rejuvenated in a teenager, was receiving a good supply of oxygen. "We were left with nothing but hope and lots and lots of prayer," David Lefere said. The support that followed from the community overwhelmed the Lefere family. A special Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church drew nearly 1,000 well-wishers the day after the accident, and hundreds gathered for a service at the high school a day later. Lefere had been a three-sport athlete, and the Cougars varsity basketball team, on which she played guard, was in the middle of the playoffs. Her teammates wrote her initials "MKL" in black ink on the backs of their hands and on wristbands they wore at their regional game the next Tuesday. The Catholic Central boys hockey team, which skated with her initials on their helmets, was on its way to winning the state championship at the time and made a habit of signing a puck and delivering it to Lefere's hospital room. Hundreds followed her progress on an Internet care page. "I always knew there were kind-hearted people here. I thought I knew that; now I really know," Kathie Lefere said. "It truly lifted us up at our darkest hour." While the girls' basketball team was trying to repeat a state championship, Cougars coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate saw it also was bestowing a great life lesson on her players. "It was a chance to get the big picture, which is something that people never seem to get," she said. "There are bigger things in life than basketball. It's something you can't teach, something that life gives you." As the Cougars finally lost in the state quarterfinals, Lefere's condition slowly began to improve. Her eyes had dilated, meaning brain waves were probably present. She began responding to the presence of doctors and family. It took three weeks for the swelling to go down and for Lefere to open her eyes for the first time. But then she suffered respiratory distress syndrome, a potentially fatal condition where the lungs fill with fluid. "We almost lost her," Kathie Lefere said. "There were several times that were pivotal." After four weeks at Spectrum Health Butterworth, Lefere was moved to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for what turned out to be 11 weeks of rehabilitation. The therapy included its share of ups and downs but, on June 24, Lefere walked out of the hospital on her own. She spent the summer in rehab and catching up on missed classes. By midsummer, she was using a cane; by August, she was walking around the block with her therapist. A major test of wills came on Sept. 24, when Lefere convinced her parents she could fulfill the role of kicker in Catholic Central's annual Powder Puff girls football game. "It took a bit of arguing," Lefere said. Cross country season started without Lefere, who had been a standout varsity runner in her sophomore and junior seasons. With progress in her rehab continuing, Lefere's goal became to run at least one race before the season ended. Because the conference meet includes only the top seven runners from each team, she would have to run in the junior varsity meet. "We were still very concerned, but it meant so much to her," Kathie Lefere said. "We had to let her do it." Lefere set a goal to complete the race in 40 minutes. As strangers, opponents and family and friends of the Catholic Central community watched, many with tears welling in their eyes, Lefere finished in 45 minutes and quickly chalked it up as a major success. While she still has some speech and retention issues, Lefere said she feels good. "Whenever I feel down, I look up and think, I'm just lucky to be here," she said. Published: Wed, Nov 2, 2011