Karina Castillo doesn't remember the accident. It was April 16, 2022, when she was driving home from a party in Dripping Springs. She had not been drinking, she said, but she was on an unfamiliar road. Her silver Toyota Camry hit head on with an SUV.

Her seatbelt saved her life, but the then-24-year-old broke seven bones in her body, including parts of both legs, her left arm, left elbow and right ankle. She only had use of her right arm.

The force of the seatbelt on her body caused the membrane inside her abdomen to separate from the abdominal wall.

While doctors at St. David's South Austin Medical Center were able to repair her injuries through multiple surgeries, Castillo would need months of intensive physical therapy to be able to turn over, then to get into and out of a wheelchair, then walk with a walker, until finally she could take a few steps on her own. Her next stop towards independence lead her to Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Austin.

To read more about Karina’s story, visit https://www.statesman.com/story/news/healthcare/2023/12/23/physical-therapy-returns-austin-woman-to-running/71072822007/.