ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando Health patient who survived a devastating crash will reunite Wednesday with the trauma surgeon and care team who helped him recover.
The reunion is part of National Trauma Survivors Day, which raises awareness about trauma survivors and the medical teams who support them.
Cristian Allen was 19-years-old when he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a crash last year.
He was taken to Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was treated by the hospital’s trauma team.
One of the doctors who cared for him, Dr. Joseph Ibrahim, had a special connection to Allen before the crash. Orlando Health said Ibrahim was Allen’s assistant baseball coach when Allen was a child.
After the crash, Allen was diagnosed with a severe brain injury that left him in a coma-like state.
He later received care at the Orlando Health Advanced Rehabilitation Institute, which Orlando Health said is the only institute in Central Florida with a specialized disorder of consciousness program.
Allen’s rehabilitation team worked with him for more than two months to help “wake up” his brain and restore function.
Now, nearly one year after the crash, Allen is back home and preparing to share his recovery story.
Allen is expected to reunite Wednesday with Ibrahim and Uzair Hammad, a neurological physical therapist who was part of his care team.
Allen’s mother, Kimen Allen, is also expected to speak about her son’s recovery.
May is also National Trauma Awareness Month.
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