Sarah Scantlin

Sarah Leanne Scantlin was born to Elizabeth and James Scantlin. She had one brother named James V. Scantlin. She graduated from Nickerson High School in 1984 and attended Hutchinson Junior Community College where she made the cheerleading squad, the Dragon Dolls. On September 21, 1984, just a couple weeks into her freshman year, she was struck by a motor vehicle (drunk driver who fled the scene) while walking with friends and sustained a traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage. She was in a minimally conscious coma-like state for 20 years. In January 2005, she surprised family, friends, and medical professionals alike when she began speaking. She retained much of her long-term memory but did not comprehend that she was no longer 18-years-old. Time magazine featured her in a 2007 special edition that focused on the brain and the "mysteries of consciousness." In July 2007, she fed herself for the first time in 22 years. Sarah died of respiratory issues and failing blood pressure on May 20, 2016.