‘The first night, I grieved the death of my daughter’: mother shares story of her daughter’s unlikely survival

EDMONTON- Nevaeh Charette-Vogelaar is fighting for her life in an Edmonton hospital. The 12-year-old was hit by a pickup truck while she was walking along Highway 855, just north of Holden Alta., on Feb. 23.

Her mother, Renee Charette, said the two had gotten into a fight over her cellphone when Nevaeh stormed out.

“She left the house. We just thought we would let her cool down,” Charette told Global News. “Looking back now, it seems so trivial.”

READ MORE: 12-year-old struck by truck on highway east of Edmonton

Nevaeh was less than a kilometre away from the family’s home when she was hit.

“The mirror hit her in the back of the head and caused a head injury, a spinal cord injury,” Charette said, adding that doctors gave her daughter a one per cent chance of survival. “The first night, I grieved the death of my daughter.”

“She was dead,” Charette said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "She was dead," Charette said.

The 12-year-old is beating the odds at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton where she is recovering from her extensive injuries. Her mom credits the power of prayer for her daughter’s ability to survive. She’s also thankful to those who stopped to help on the night of the crash, including the driver. Charette said she thinks about him every day.

“Something was telling me that I needed to say something to him,” Charette said after she reached out to the driver through a Facebook post that reads ‘Dear driver of the truck I don’t know who you are but my heart hurts for you the pain you must feel I can’t imagine.’

“I prayed that he would be OK and I’ve continued to do so every day.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I prayed that he would be OK and I've continued to do so every day."

Nevaeh has a long road ahead of her.  She will spend the next few months at the Stollery before she is ready for rehabilitation.

Charette said she wants other teens to know about the dangers of making decisions when emotions are running high.

“Something so small changed the entire course of her life.”

Family friends have started a GoFundMe page to help with expenses that are incurred while Nevaeh is in hospital.