Yes, life is filled with obstacles. But there’s always hope.

Sarah Deberry’s story of incredible challenges and second chances will inspire anyone who ever felt like giving up on their dreams

Sarah Deberry has earned a college degree and holds a Certificate of Medical Administration as well as a security guard license. She currently holds down seven jobs and is the author of the inspirational book, My Second Chance at Life. Her many accomplishments are even more remarkable considering Sarah is one of 53 million Americans living with a permanent brain injury-related disability.

Just a child who wanted ice cream

Deberry was eight years old when she dashed across a street toward an ice cream shop and was hit by a car, suffering major trauma. She was paralyzed and in a coma for eight days. No one thought she’d make it, let alone be able to do anything with her life. But Deberry recalls seeing a huge light immediately after her accident, and someone (A guardian angel?) telling her it wasn’t her time yet. She’s taken that message to heart.

“If not for that one mistake, I would not be who I am today, and I would not have the ambition to instill hope in those facing challenges — for them to accept who they are and to embrace their differences,” she writes.

Deberry spent months relearning how to talk, walk and eat . . . her mother tempting her with favorite foods such as macaroni and cheese. The accident damaged the right side of her brain, causing involuntary movements of her left arm. She also has short-term memory loss, as well as impairments to her speech and mobility.

Never underestimate someone with a traumatic brain injury

The ensuing years were filled with roadblocks, often created by those closest to her. “Even strong people have battles. I had so many people telling me I couldn’t do this or that. They wanted to hold me back,” says Deberry, who credits her twin sister Nicole with helping her through. “Nicole became like a mother figure to me,” she says lovingly.

Unable to cope after the accident, their mother developed substance abuse issues that eventually led to their father gaining custody of both girls. “My father was constantly telling me I couldn’t do anything with my life. He kept me on a tight leash and wouldn’t let me live up to my potential. He enrolled me in special ed classes when I knew I could handle general education courses. I was constantly having to prove, even to my own father, that I could succeed in life.”

She stresses, “The people closest to someone with a traumatic brain injury should know that he or she has the motivation and the drive to push through it. Let them do it! Don’t try to pull them back. Except for my sister, I didn’t have anyone but myself telling me that I could overcome this. I had no one to talk with, to back me up.”

Finding peace: Her deal with God to write the book

About five or six years ago, Deberry realized that she’d stopped making progress with her physical and speech therapies. “I researched deep brain stimulation and decided to try it, even though the odds of me making it out alive were only 50/50,” she recalls. “I was up the whole night before surgery making a deal with God: If He made this surgery work for me, I would finish my book and inspire the world with my story.”

Surviving the surgery, she felt peace. “I’m not going to get any better. And I am okay with that. Being different is special. I’m not a regular person. I don’t do much that’s regular. But who cares? I am smart. And I know I’m strong.”

Messages of hope for anyone who struggles

With this book, Deberry wants to change how people see those with traumatic brain injuries. “Yes, we talk and look a little different. So what? We’re still people too.”

But her biggest motivation is to inspire everyone to go after their dreams, no matter how giant their setbacks might be. “Friends and family: tell your loved ones to keep on trying. If you’re the one with the injury, believe in yourself. Because when you don’t believe in yourself and give up hope, that’s when things don’t work out.”

Deberry has a firm grasp on who she is and what she can accomplish. “I don’t give up easily. God recreated me for a reason. Even though I have a crazy arm, and messed-up speech, I wouldn’t change a thing because that’s how He wants me to be.”

My Second Chance at Life is brimming with powerful insights. “Whether you have sustained a brain injury or care about someone who has, I hope that sharing my story will make a difference. It’s a message that doesn’t get out there often enough,” she concludes. “Find a way to get through the hard times because you don’t want to wake up one day wondering what could have happened. You might not get a second chance at life, like I did.”

And while much in her life changed permanently after her accident, some things remain constant. Deberry laughingly admits that ice cream and macaroni & cheese are still two of her favorite foods.

10% of the proceeds of every book sale is donated to the Children’s Hospital of Oakland, the hospital that saved Sarah’s life.