Prisma Health celebrates brave individuals on National Trauma Survivors Day

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– Each year, 2.5 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury according to the CDC.

“Just because someone has a brain injury doesn’t mean that something is wrong with them,” said trauma survivor Evan McWilliams. “Brain injuries impact us differently. My brain injury doesn’t make me stupid or less of a person.”

The third Wednesday of May marks National Trauma Survivors Day. Here in the Midlands, Prisma Health celebrated brave individuals like Jachaei Cummings who have overcome traumatic accidents.

“I was going to Townsend Georgia for a basketball tournament,” Jachaei remembers. “I was MVP of the basketball tournament. When I left the tournament, I was hit by a drunk driver.”

Jachaei says he was airlifted to Augusta and went through 28 surgeries.

“Nine doctors looked at my body and said I wouldn’t live. They told me I wouldn’t walk or talk again,” he said. “I was to be encouraging and tell people that no matter what you experience in life, you can overcome it.”

Evan McWilliams has overcome a lot of challenges on his own road to recovery.

“I spent seven months in the hospital and 18 days at a rehab facility,” Evan said. “I spent a year and a half at home where I doubted what I was going to do in life. I thought my life was basically over.”

Thanks to his caregivers and Prisma Health, Evan now works at the same hospital that he was a patient at.

“I’ve lived the bad part of the brain injury and now I’m living the good part,” he said. “It’s amazing. It’s a second chance at life.”

“Our goal is to get patients out of the hospital but we’re really trying to get people’s back to their lives, society, family and friends,” said Prisma Health trauma surgeon Dr. Phillip Prest. “This is about all that other stuff that happens when we’re done here. We want people like Evan to get home, get inspired and get back into the world where he can be his best self.”

The most common causes are falls and crashes. A mild injury can affect brain cells temporarily but more serious injury can result in bleeding which leads to complications or death.