Kandy Andrepont-David, originally of Eunice, submitted this story about her recovery from a traumatic injury.
In the summer of 2011, prior to her junior year of undergraduate studies, Kandy Andrepont-David was in an ATV accident, which required her being resuscitated twice prior to surgery for traumatic brain injury.
“I was in a coma for three and a half days with only my heart functioning on its own, not even able to breathe without machines. The doctors told my mom that I was not improving and the decision to pull the plug was on the line. It was that afternoon that I opened my eyes while awaking from my coma.”
David’s doctors classified her case as a miracle.
She then received physical, occupation and speech therapy and she was told to prepare herself that she may never walk again without assistance. She also sustained short term memory loss.
However, David through determination, told her doctors she was going to school to finish to obtain her degree in law, and she did just that.
“By the time my evaluation came the following week, my therapists told me that they would recommend my discharge because I surpassed the therapy plan they had set out and far exceeded all expectations. I did at-home therapy for one month before starting my fall semester, six weeks behind everyone else, with the full intention of keeping my promise to myself of finishing what I started.”
Through much determination and perseverance David started her semester, and added, “During my post-discharge consultation with the neurologist, he told me that I wouldn’t be able to perform well in college because of the severity of my injuries and them worsening over time. I told him I would take my chances.”
David successfully completed her fall semester after teaching herself the six weeks of material missed in order to be on the same page as everyone else.
She added, “Not only did I complete that semester, but I graduated on time.”
Three years after earning her undergraduate degree, David found the Master’s of Science Law program (online courses) at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, and pursued her dream of obtaining a graduate degree. She surpassed her expectations and graduated in May with a 3.88 GPA.
“During my time as a student at Champlain, I suffered a relapse of blackouts, mild seizures, and other neurological issues that had me under constant medical supervision for several months.”
During this time period David found out she was expecting despite being told that it would be impossible.
“I was told pregnancy would be impossible because of my body shutting down like it did during my coma. To say it was a hard pregnancy and labor is an understatement.”
There were many late nights of David juggling sickness, feeding a new born, doing homework by a flashlight to not wake her baby, but she did overcome all obstacles.
David added, “Being a stay-at-home mom with a newborn and graduate student was no easy task, but neither was over coming death six years prior.
“I started my Champlain College experience unsure of what to expect and the level of difficulty I would endure trying to chase a dream of working with and rehabilitating juveniles in the legal system.
David was determined to defy all odds and achieve her dream. She added, “I wanted my degree to show my son that his mom defied all odds and achieved this dream because I believed that I could.
“I wanted to show him that the sky is the limit and any dream you chase is possible. If I would have listened to the doctors, taken the easy way out, and dropped out of college, I would not have earned two degrees to further my journey to my career goals.”
David is seeking employment in family law or juvenile rehabilitation field. She earned a bachelor of arts from UL Lafayette in 2013, with a major political science and concentration in pre-law.
David is married to Joey and is the mother of a 14-month-old son John Wallace David. The family resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
David is a 2008 graduate of Eunice High School, and the daughter of Sandy and Jimmy Ware of Eunice. She is the granddaughter of Wilma and the late Aubrey Andrepont of Eunice, and Albert “AV” Coker and the late Phoebe Coker of Eunice.