Adassa Craig used to love to dance, sing and perform. She was a “social butterfly.”
On Nov. 1, 2017, one moment changed her life.
The nine-year-old girl and her mother, Mary-Noah Ndateramye, were in a Honda Civic heading north on Manning Drive when it collided with a southbound transport bus.
Both mom and daughter were taken to hospital: Mary-Noah suffered non-life-threatening injuries but her daughter was left in critical condition.
READ MORE: Child in critical condition after car, bus collide in northeast Edmonton
Adassa’s body has fully healed but her brain has not.
“Her brain doesn’t function, obviously, the way it used to,” said Mary-Noah Ndateramye about her daughter’s traumatic brain injury.
“It has been a nightmare.”
“I remember after the third week when the doctor would suggest that maybe the best thing would be to give her compassionate care and let her go in peace,” Ndateramye said.
“When I see the little improvements that I do now, I know I made the right decision.”
Ndateramye spends most of her time at the Stollery Children’s Hospital next to her daughter’s bedside. She’s been off work and has been learning how to care for the now 10-year-old, from feeding her to bathing her, moving her and taking care of her various medical devices.
“It has been really overwhelming in so many ways,” she told Global News.
READ MORE: 9-year-old girl with ‘infectious smile’ still critical after Manning Dr. crash
Ndateramye said her daughter is in stable condition and is able to open her eyes and has some muscle reflexes but remains in a comatose state.
Adassa will soon be released from the hospital and will go to a care facility because the family’s home isn’t accessible.
“Obviously, I would prefer to have her with me,” Ndateramye said. “I don’t have what she needs to be cared for here.”
Adassa’s mom said she knows she won’t ever have her same little girl back but she has found hope in the small improvements she sees when she’s with her.
Friends of the family have organized a fundraiser in May to help with the costs of buying a new home and getting a nurse for Adassa, who will need constant care for the rest of her life.
The fundraiser will be held at the German Canadian Cultural Association on May 5 starting at 5 p.m.
You can find more information on the fundraiser through their Facebook page.
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