Faith and family make ANYTHING POSSIBLE!

After a car accident left her husband Brandon with a severe brain injury, Kristen Armstrong embarked on an extraordinary journey of heartache, love and new beginnings. Here, she shares her story

- —As told to Diane Nichols

Brandon (second left) is cared for and deeply loved by Kristen, James (center) and their three children

On a typical day in 2008, I was driving from one job to another when I got the phone call everyone prays they will never receive.

My husband Brandon had been in a serious car accident and I needed to get to the hospital right away.

Thankfully, my mom happened to be driving behind me at the time, so I pulled over and got in her car.

“What if Brandon is dead, Mom?” I asked, a quiver of fear in my voice.

Not knowing any details about his condition made the drive to the hospital feel like a horrific out-of-body experience.

"I'm grateful to God for where we all are today," says Kristen, here with Brandon (front) and the whole family in 2024

At the time, I was 24 years old and Brandon was 23. We had been married just over two years with a bright future ahead. But after arriving at the neurotrauma ICU, I saw the man I loved in a coma, a chilling hiss from a ventilator the only thing keeping him alive.

While we waited for Brandon to wake up from the coma, I still didn’t know the extent of his injuries. I shed many tears and said endless prayers, and he finally woke up two months later. But I soon realized the husband I knew was gone.

Doctors told us that Brandon had a severe traumatic brain injury. He was no longer able to feed himself or drink on his own. He would never be able to walk again, to dress himself or to have long conversations like he and I used to.