Journeys of Hope Podcast - Episode Six

In this episode of Journeys of Hope, Rebecca Solomon shares the remarkable story of Emilie Saltzman, who survived a devastating traumatic brain injury after a childhood horseback riding accident. Joined by her mother, Renee, the episode traces their journey from a life-threatening emergency and uncertain prognosis to a hard-fought recovery shaped by intensive rehabilitation, family support, and unwavering determination. Through candid reflections on hospital life, the challenges of relearning basic skills, and the emotional toll of long-term recovery, their story highlights both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. Ultimately, it’s a moving testament to hope, advocacy, and the strength families find in the face of unimaginable adversity.

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

1. Resilience can defy the odds
2. Early and intensive rehabilitation is critical
3. Family involvement makes a powerful difference
4. Supportive care environments matter
5. Recovery is ongoing and multifaceted

TRANSCRIPT

Rebecca Solomon (00:05)
Hello and welcome to Journeys of Hope, a podcast inspired by the strength, resilience, and unshakable spirit of medically fragile children. Each episode, we share powerful stories of young warriors who face extraordinary health challenges alongside their families, caregivers, and medical teams. Through unwavering love, expert care, and hope, these children show us what it means not just to survive, but to thrive. My name is Rebecca Solomon, and this is Journeys of Hope.

Let's begin.

everyone's journey is unique. In 2015, a young Emilie Saltzman was thrown from a horse and sustained a life threatening traumatic brain injury. Emilie's life and her parents' lives were forever changed. But they always held on to that hope. And even though doctors said Emilie only had a 10 % chance of recovery, Emilie spent four months as an inpatient learning again how to speak, eat, and walk.

And on this podcast, Emilie and her mom, Renee, are here with me. And it is so wonderful to have you both joining me. Thank you so much.

Renee (01:08)
Thank you so much for having us.

Rebecca Solomon (01:10)
dive in a little bit about your journey. And I just want to know if you'd be comfortable sharing a little bit about what life was like before the injury.

Renee (01:19)
a typical family. ⁓ It was Ellen, Emilie, they were eight and seven. Emilie was seven at the time. They were best friends, did everything together. was fantastic, things were great. Things were great and they would even do horseback riding together.

⁓ I rode as a child and I thought it would be so nice for the girls to share that as well and so Yeah, they were horse riding together

Rebecca Solomon (01:45)
what happened after the accident and the moments you realized something was wrong?

Renee (01:54)
Well, the horse was out of control at the time and Emilie was desperately trying to ⁓ hold on as best she could. ⁓ She was finally thrown from the horse ⁓ and she wasn't breathing. And something just kicked in. knew the most important thing was to get her breathing again.

as quickly as possible. ⁓ I had not been CPR certified since high school, which was many, many years ago. ⁓ But I started doing CPR on her. And we were on the phone with the dispatcher as well, helping us. ⁓ And at that point, the ambulance came and Emilie was airlifted to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital.

Rebecca Solomon (02:43)
were admitted to Blythedale, what did that day-to-day look like in the hospital?

Renee (02:49)
She doesn't remember that as

after you come off of life support, well her experience when she came off of life support, she was in what's called an awakening period. So it's almost as if you're in a coma but you're awake. And so when she arrived at Blythedale, ⁓ she really was unconscious of what was happening around her. ⁓

And it wasn't until she started coming out of this awakening ⁓ that she was aware of her surroundings.

Rebecca Solomon (03:24)
And Renee, did you know when they transferred her from maria fareri to Blythedale that there was hope that she was going to get on some sort of road to recovery?

Renee (03:35)
it's so unfortunate and I understand now, but looking back, I remember as a parent always asking the doctors at Maria Fareri as well as Blythedale, ⁓ is she gonna get better? ⁓ What is she going to be like? What is going to be the quality of her life? And we, my husband and I would always hear, ⁓ we don't know.

because we don't know that much about the brain yet. So we really didn't know and the doctors didn't know how much recovery. ⁓ and it wasn't until Blythedale when we arrived at Blythedale, ⁓ her best hope was going to Blythedale and getting her the therapy she needed immediately.

Rebecca Solomon (04:21)
And

explain a little bit to our viewers about why there was, because some people aren't aware of what actually happens at Blythedale versus another children's hospital such as a Maria Fareri. How much time did she spend at Marie Fareri? Why did she go there before she was admitted to Blythedale? And kind of the difference of those two operations ⁓ from a parent's standpoint, what you're told and what you see ⁓ with your daughter.

Renee (04:47)
Right, so when she arrived at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, ⁓ she was never conscious. She was put on life support immediately for about two, two and a half weeks. And the thought process there was we have to let her brain rest. Because at that point they had diagnosed her with ⁓ baby shaking syndrome.

complete shearing of the brain where the brain detached from the skull and she had four brain bleeds, brain bleeds,

and she also had a left temporal lobe fracture.

So there was a lot of injury and of course swelling of the brain. And so the theory was that if we let the brain rest by having her on life support, ⁓ she would have better odds. And that's exactly what they did at Maria Fareri. Once she came off of life support, she did start to regain consciousness. But again, she went through what's called that awakening period. And it literally is where the brain is creating new patterns

Rebecca Solomon (05:46)
Thank

interesting.

Renee (05:53)
pathways

Actually even before we arrived at Blythedale I remember even the doctors and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital telling us that Again the best chance of recovery for her

would be going to a rehab hospital and starting those therapies, intense therapies, as quickly as possible. And truth be told, I think when we, maybe even the first day at Blythedale, we actually could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Before that, we just didn't know, but once we're at Blythedale, and you know now,

what you have to do. This is what we're going to do. This is the course of action. She's going to have this intense therapy three, four times a day. She's going to go to school. Once you have that program in place, as a parent, it made us hopeful. We could see that light and it made us feel better.

Rebecca Solomon (06:56)
Yeah.

Renee (06:59)
you know, Blythedale also has its own school district, which is so unique.

Rebecca Solomon (07:02)
Okay.

Renee (07:05)
I could even remember, I think it was perhaps the second day she was there, and they came up one of the teachers to bring her a school bag. And they said, she's going to start school tomorrow. And I thought, you are out of your minds.

She's paralyzed, she can't speak, she's in a wheelchair. And they said, no, she's coming.

it was the best, the best course of treatment.

Rebecca Solomon (07:33)
It all plays into that rehabilitation and that recovery. And especially with a traumatic brain injury, moving and going into the classroom and going into occupational therapy and into physical therapy, those are all of the pieces to the puzzle.

Renee (07:37)
Correct.

and being with other children and feeling a little bit, I don't want to use the word normal, but to have a little bit of that normalcy back from what she had before, prior to the accident.

Rebecca Solomon (08:08)
Emilie, what do you remember being in Blythedale? And maybe at what point did you start remembering what your mornings and days and evenings look like?

Renee (08:19)
I don't remember when I began remembering, but I do remember like going to school some days and I remember like little things about those days. You remember the food? And then the food, yes. And then I remember some therapies.

⁓ And I remember speech therapy. yeah. That was her least favorite.

Rebecca Solomon (08:50)
Speech therapy? I'm surprised. You're quite the, you the gift of gab.

Renee (08:52)
Yeah.

You have to explain why, though. was the food. Because they made me eat all this, like, food. It is gross. Because people don't realize when you're paralyzed. She was paralyzed completely on the right side. Your insides are also. So she wasn't able to eat.

Rebecca Solomon (08:59)
textures and food and yes.

you

Renee (09:13)
So she had to relearn how to eat again and she had to gain that strength. And so she would have to eat food that was ⁓ like baby food, but it'd be in the shape of let's say a steak or a baked potato. And so she did not like that too much.

Rebecca Solomon (09:29)
Yeah.

When you look at pictures in the hospital, ⁓ do you recall any of those moments? Or ⁓ when you see yourself, is it like a surreal, like, wow, I can't believe I was at the hospital for recovering from a TBI? Or what was that like?

Renee (09:51)
think of anything when I look at the photos? I don't know. We had one of the parents that was in the TBI unit with us. She had gifted Emilie a camera. Yeah. And it was one of the little Polaroid cameras. so Emilie started taking photos of all her friends in the

Rebecca Solomon (09:55)
Yeah. Yeah, no, that's the

Renee (10:19)
When we left ⁓ in the rec one day, they made a photo album with, what was it? ⁓ Shopping, grocery shopping bags, the paper bags. And they made this beautiful album. And Emilie put all the photos in of all her favorite people at the hospital. And do you know we still have the photo album and we still go through it.

on occasion and will read everything and look at all the friends that she had there. And it's crazy to think that this is a hospital, it's a rehabilitation hospital we're talking about, that we have such sweet memories.

Rebecca Solomon (11:03)
Amazing. What surprised you most about the recovery process at Blythedale?

Renee (11:10)
love the fact that they felt it was so important to include friends and family in the recovery process. So during the week, it's very difficult. It's Monday through Friday at school. It's your occupational therapy, your physical therapy.

⁓ your speech therapy, but the weekends they want it to be with friends and family and they truly believe that is such an important part of a child's recovery. And so for us, I was so surprised to hear it and I loved that we did hear it and that they

our family and friends to be included and to help.

Rebecca Solomon (11:55)
It was like a new norm for you for those few months.

Renee (12:00)
Yeah, I we spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. And so the whole family came in and we brought the meal to her and we spent it in the cafeteria. We were there for Christmas and the same thing. It was our norm for the time and they became our family, know, our extended family, the nurses and the doctors and the kids, I think.

The kids always inspired us, I know Jeremy and myself, because they were never depressed. They were never ⁓ unhappy. They were always smiling. There was always laughter in the hallways. ⁓ Always laughter.

Rebecca Solomon (12:45)
It's quite the lively

place to be for sure.

Renee (12:49)
yeah.

Rebecca Solomon (12:50)
Renee, how did you advocate for Emilie's care in talking about the team? What kind of support did you receive with our team at Blythedale?

Renee (12:58)
think Jeremy and I advocated that much because again, we were thrown into this and we knew nothing about children with TBIs. Absolutely nothing. And I don't.

think we even had to advocate. We were so fortunate to have a staff, team of doctors and nurses and aides who supported us, who guided us, that we were able to trust.

We knew nothing about what we were dealing with at the time. And they are truly so knowledgeable when it comes to children with traumatic brain injuries and what's

Rebecca Solomon (13:42)
And

to that end, you probably, as you said, you started your journey at Blythedale not knowing anything about children with brain injuries. And by the time you probably walked out of those doors to go back home, you probably knew a lot because of how our team educates parents. Yeah.

Renee (14:00)
They

do a fantastic job doing that. ⁓ You don't go home feeling unsure of yourself taking care of a child with a TBI.

were at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. They're doing everything, the doctors and the nurses and the aides, doing everything for you.

because it's such a critical state. You know, that's life or

As soon as you get to Blythedale, they have it where the parents are hands-on and learning how to take care of their child and feeling confident and comfortable in doing so. And so it was a bit scary because honestly, I didn't want to touch her feeding machine. ⁓

or to deal with her medication. I didn't want to do that because I was nervous. I was scared. But they train you, they work with you, they guide you. And when you leave, you do have that confidence. Somehow you do. And it's okay going home and you feel okay going home with your child.

Rebecca Solomon (15:04)
Yeah.

Great. I'd like to ask each of you separately, how did this experience affect you individually and as a family?

Renee (15:22)
⁓ Well, there's still things I struggle with. ⁓ I struggle academically and then I also struggle with confidence sometimes because of my like...

me being unable to do some things because I'm like I can't just do it yet and I'm not like for reading I'm not a fast reader because the accident I had like learning disabilities so I didn't read because it was hard for me so I'm kind of a slow reader now and that kind of

It's just like what affects me most is what I'm unable to do or to do as well as other people my age.

Rebecca Solomon (16:26)
do feel

as though your teachers and classmates and peers, do they understand?

It's hard for someone else who hasn't been through what you've been through to really understand.

Renee (16:38)
it depends really on the class I'm in, because I used to have an IEP and I used to have two teachers in the classroom, and they always knew what happened, and they always knew what, like, my learning capability was. But since now I have all one teacher classes,

There's not as many hands, so they can't really know everything about everyone. And they don't understand that sometimes I do need more time.

Rebecca Solomon (17:15)
thrive on stage. You thrive when there is a microphone and music surrounding you.

I asked you the night of our gala, said, are you nervous to perform in front of, know, 200 plus people? And you're like, no, not at all. So how come in that area, you're so comfortable?

Renee (17:31)
I I'm so comfortable, well I know I'm so comfortable

because ⁓ in that moment,

I have everyone's attention and they can see me at something I'm good at, something that I actually love to do and in school they kinda just see me as like the quiet little girl by herself.

that like has not passed the test once to math.

Rebecca Solomon (18:03)
Well, it's very interesting.

you know, even when I think of songs and music, like, you're comfortable memorizing lyrics and learning words to... That's so fascinating.

Renee (18:16)
So for Emilie, where her injury was, the part of the brain that was affected, her language was wiped out. So she wasn't able to speak, and she had to relearn how to speak. And the brain, how it was described to us, it overcompensated. So she did better at math early on, ⁓ but struggled more with the language. And that's why the language, she has a bit of a deficit. It's harder for her. ⁓

to actually to read.

Rebecca Solomon (18:47)
how did you balance staying strong for your daughter while you were also caring for you and your family, your husband and your other, your daughter, and you were going through this as well? How do you do that?

Renee (18:58)
My mom at the time put her life on pause in Florida and came and lived with us to stay with Ella, our eight-year-old at the time. And Jeremy and I also had our own businesses and we had business partners that helped us ⁓ where we were able to take shifts and stay at the hospital with Emilie. So Emilie was only seven.

And so we made sure that one of us between my mother, myself and Jeremy, she had somebody there at all times. It's not the norm. There are plenty of families that are not in that situation and can do that. ⁓ And God, I give them such credit. It is so difficult to have to leave your child at the hospital. It's a horrible, horrible decision.

You know, some parents, it's a single household or they have to work. ⁓ But I will tell you that children at Blythedale are so loved and cared for by the staff there ⁓ that honestly, looking back, I would have been okay leaving Emilie ⁓ with them because they truly, I mean, they love those kids. They're so wonderful with the kids.

Rebecca Solomon (20:08)
true.

and they become family.

Renee (20:23)
Yes, yes, absolutely. It is, we always say it's our home away from home.

a special place and I never want to forget Blythedale. I get a little choked up. ⁓

They did so much for us. They didn't just take care of Emilie. They took care of all of us.

Rebecca Solomon (20:44)
Yeah. What was it like when you found out it was time to go home?

Renee (20:49)
You are so happy. We were so excited. Emilie went home, but she was going to be admitted as a day hospital patient. So she, for the next six months, would be bussed down to Blythedale to go to school and have her therapies. So it wasn't like a final goodbye. ⁓

I'm gonna be honest, they sound so crazy, but it was sad too to leave them behind, to leave the kids behind there, the families behind, the staff. We all got so close, four and a half months. And we really did get so close with them all. And so it was bittersweet.

Rebecca Solomon (21:29)
How many months were you up Blythedale Four and a half? Yeah. Wow.

then what did that transition home look like?

Renee (21:44)
we got out I think in February and for the rest of the winter, spring, and even summer until September, she was bused down every day. And it wasn't an easy bus ride, it was two hours ⁓ each way almost.

and she was a patient at Blythedale and went to the school there. So she would be ready for September to go back to her old school. And so honestly, that was difficult. That was really difficult. Emilie ⁓ really struggled with doing that bus ride. Those are very long

Rebecca Solomon (22:20)
Those are long days.

Renee (22:23)
very long days.

Rebecca Solomon (22:23)
And by the time you

get home, you know, it's late and tired and, you know, I can imagine.

Renee (22:27)
Yes.

Yeah, it was really hard for her. And also kids with traumatic brain injuries, in Emilie's case that is, she would get tired. You know, because this is all new, the brain is healing and so, you know, she would be exhausted.

Rebecca Solomon (22:39)
Mm-hmm.

Renee (22:45)
We knew that that was the best thing for her. She needed those therapies and she needed to be at school there.

Rebecca Solomon (22:54)
to school through our day hospital, you get those credits that you can take them back with you to your home

Renee (23:02)
she graduated second grade at Blythedale. We chose though to hold her back in September. And the reason why we chose it was we wanted her to experience the year. She lost the whole year at her school. So we wanted her to experience that and to feel confident. And so we held her back. It wasn't the end of the world. She was okay.

Rebecca Solomon (23:05)
Mm-hmm.

Bye.

Renee (23:27)
And we honestly we even held Ella back because it was a struggle you know we forget sometimes with the siblings it's very difficult on the siblings ⁓ and so we decided to hold both of them back and have a redo so to speak. Yeah yeah they were young enough and we thought that was the best.

Rebecca Solomon (23:44)
Absolutely, why not, right?

How would you say this experience has changed you, both of you?

Renee (23:54)
I know the love our family has for one another. know that whatever could possibly happen, worst case scenario, I know that we're gonna get through it. I know that my husband and I are gonna get through it. I know that the kids will be okay, they'll get through it, and we will all do our part. And I know that all our friends and family will be there for us.

this can't be forgotten, you know, Emilie's journey. And we need to share her journey with other families.

whether it be for Hope, ⁓ for Medicaid,

But I know her journey cannot be forgotten and we need to share it with other

need to stand up for other kids that don't have a voice ⁓ and to try to make changes, whether it be in the school districts when kids return back to school after suffering a TBI, that they're better trained or better equipped to welcome these kids back ⁓ or to make sure that all kids that are medically fragile like Emilie receive health benefits.

that they can get better, that they can stay at Blythedale ⁓ And I think sharing Emilie's journey, I know for us when it happened, you never heard about kids suffering a TBI as serious as hers. Nobody talked about it. Parents don't talk about it. And I don't get that. I don't understand it. There is such a deafening silence.

Rebecca Solomon (25:30)
right.

Renee (25:36)
when it comes to TBIs with kids. And ⁓ I don't want that. I want families to hear about other kids and other families and what they've been through and what the recovery was. And every recovery is gonna be

Rebecca Solomon (25:56)
Well,

you both are warriors, and it's so admirable how you're taking your experience and running with it. And you are being a voice for families who are either going through a similar injury or ⁓ just life in

Thank you for being that voice for other parents and caregivers and patients who are going through similar situations.

Renee (26:25)
Thank you.

Rebecca Solomon (26:27)
Emilie, what advice ⁓ would you give to, I don't know, maybe someone else who's just entering a similar journey like yours?

Renee (26:40)
I would say that there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are people that surround you that care about you and are going to help you more than you think. And you just gotta push no matter how hard it is. You just gotta do it.

Rebecca Solomon (27:02)
and reach out, I guess, to that support system, right?

Renee (27:04)
Yeah.

You need it. Honestly, there is no way that you could do it alone. You need somebody. You need help. And again, whether it be from the staff at Blythedale the doctors, the nurses, friends, family, everybody needs somebody when they go through this.

Rebecca Solomon (27:26)
my last question, which I like to ask all of our guests, how would you describe the meaning of hope?

Renee (27:34)
is love and happiness at the end of all this and you don't know what the outcome is going to be or what your life may now look like but that there'll be happiness and love and smiles and laughter and new memories.

That's what it is for me.

Rebecca Solomon (27:57)
And you may not have realized it while you were going in and out of the hospital and there all the time with Emilie, but you were holding out hope and you probably didn't even realize it. And you held onto that and then looking back, you're like, wow, here we are.

Renee (28:09)
Yes.

Yeah. Yeah. I think hope is just having positivity and like looking at the bright side of things even though the road is dark.

Rebecca Solomon (28:32)
Beautiful. You gotta have that strength, right?

Renee (28:35)
Yeah.

Rebecca Solomon (28:37)
Well, this has been a wonderful conversation. I could continue to talk to both of you forever, ⁓ but we only have so much time. And is there anything else either of you would like to add?

Renee (28:44)
You

I think for me, what you're doing is fantastic that you're sharing these stories, these journeys with other families. They could hear them. I wish we would have had that when we were going through what Emilie was dealing with at the time. And we didn't have that. And again, as I said, we felt so alone.

And so it's so important what you're doing and to share this with other families.

I wish I would have had that. So thank you for doing this because it does mean a lot.

Rebecca Solomon (29:37)
It's my absolute pleasure. I could hear both of you talk on and on and on because you have quite a story to tell. yes, it is important to get that out there and make sure other families know that they are not alone. And Emilie, you want to share anything fun? What's next for you? Do you have any performances coming up or ⁓ you'll continue? I mean, I know you're going to continue to take the stage. You love singing and you're great at it, but...

Anything else you want to share with us?

Renee (30:09)
Well, next, like my next definite like singing performance. I don't really have anything before this, but ⁓ the Garden of City, ⁓ Garden Dreams. Going back as an alumni this year, it's gonna be fun. ⁓ But other than that, I'm just taking whatever someone throws at me.

Rebecca Solomon (30:37)
I love it.

That's what you got to do. Will you keep us posted on your continuing journey? ⁓ And we want to just thank you again for being on this podcast and yeah, just keep in touch. know, we know how to find you, right? Keep doing all the amazing things. Wonderful to chat again with both of you. Thank you so much. We hope all of our listeners or viewers have enjoyed this podcast of Journeys of

Renee (30:51)
Thank you so much, Rebecca.

Rebecca Solomon (31:02)
course, if you have any ideas for future topics, we'd love to hear from you.

You can email us at podcast at blythedale.org. Thank you again so much for tuning in and we hope to have you join us next time.