KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Nearly 2,000 trauma patients come to St. Luke's Hospital every year. The road to recovery is a long one, but it usually comes with moments of hope.
Catherine Montgomery never thought she'd be so happy to be in a room full of doctors and nurses. But she was filled with gratitude when the room was full of people who saved her son's life.
"Those people aren't back there doing a job; this is all about love," Montgomery said. "This lit a fire under me. When I get a fire lit under me, I light a fire under [my son]."
27-year-old Charles Montgomery was moving into a new home with his girlfriend and about to start grad school when he was hit head-on by a driver going the wrong way on Ward Parkway. He suffered 22 broken bones and a traumatic head injury.
"It was trying times," Montgomery said. "He was a miracle. It was an absolute miracle that he made it."
It took a team of surgeons, doctors and nurses to help Charles through the worst days. So it was only fitting that his team got to see him now that those days were behind him.
"You see the joy on their face, you see their loved ones cheering and supporting them, and that's a huge accomplishment," Dr. Alyssa Fesmire said. "We're so excited to celebrate that with them."
Several trauma patients came back to St. Luke's to celebrate National Trauma Survivors Day on Wednesday. The third Wednesday in May signifies a moment of resiliency and inspiration for those still recovering.
"We got to see some of the people that saved him, and to me, that's what touches my heart is getting to thank them," Montgomery said.
Charles' life was forever changed when the crash happened last October. It took away most of his speech and mobility, but it didn't take his life.
And that's hope for his mom.
"We came to celebrate our son being alive," Montgomery said.
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