BLACKSBURG, Va. – For over a week, the Hodge family has been living in anguish, facing every parent’s worst fear—not knowing if their child will survive the night.
“It’s been awful,” said Alysia Hodge, Ashton Hodge’s mother.
On January 11th, Ashton Hodge and his friends went to the Jefferson National Forest to enjoy the fresh snow.
“He had called me, and I asked what they were doing,” said Alysia. “He said they were going sleigh riding, and I told him to be careful. I didn’t want a call from the hospital about a broken bone. This was far worse.”
While out, Ashton hit a jump on the sled, causing him to crash.
“I think his friend went to the right, and my son went to the left,” said Alysia. “His friend abrased his arm, and my son hit the tree. Luckily, his friend had some medical knowledge and a first aid kit in the vehicle, which helped assess my son.”
Ashton’s mom shared that his friends rushed him to LewisGale Hospital in Montgomery County, and he was then sent to Salem.
That is where they learned the severity of Ashton’s injuries.
“My son was in and out of talking, and they completely lost response,” said Alysia. “They immediately did another CT and discovered the second brain bleed and intubated my son.”
Over a week since the accident, things are looking up for Ashton.
“He was able to be taken off the vent this past Sunday after receiving his trach on Friday, and he has done well with that,” said Alysia. “He is now off sedation drugs from his IV and is starting to follow some commands and talk to us.”
While Ashton has a long road ahead, his mom is just glad to have her son.
“He is awake now, participating in therapy, and his personality is still there,” Alysia said.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills.
You can find the GoFundMe here.