Help Tessa Recover From Traumatic Brain Injury

Jessica Erps is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Tessa Pratt.

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Hi all, our names are Jessica, Will, Kelsea, and Alex - we are reaching out to our community to ask for help for our dear friend Tessa. On 11/30/2021, Tessa arrived at the airport as she made her way to Austin, Texas. She was happy, healthy, and excited as she retrieved her seat assignment from the Alaska gate. She had no idea her life would change in a matter of seconds.

Upon regaining consciousness (after about 12 minutes), she realized she was splayed across the ground of SeaTac airport, with paramedics administering oxygen while struggling to control the excessive blood pouring from her brain, exiting through her ear. She was told she had sustained a massive seizure and, as a result, would likely be facing significant brain trauma.

She was taken to the nearest emergency room, where we quickly learned of the extent of her injuries. She tells me all the time how lucky she was to have been that close. The blood pouring from her ear originated from a massive brain bleed. We learned her skull was fractured, her ear was ruptured, and her concussion was quite severe. CT after CT and MRI after MRI were performed. We all finally let out an exhale when the doctors were able to confirm the loss of consciousness was not the result of a tumor.

As the initial days in the hospital passed, her prognosis improved. Test after test came back with glowing marks. Her health was excellent, but her injury was life altering. She slowly became more lucid, her memory began to return, and she fought hard to find the words and motor skills for her speech. Her face was drooped and she struggled to express her sentences. She was far from the loud, chatty, animated person she was the week before. At that point, all we could do was quietly hope we would see that person again. She knew she would be okay, though, long before anyone else did.

Eventually, she was deemed well enough to return home, as long as she remained under constant supervision. She briefly returned to the ER on 12/7 due to increased pain and spontaneous bleeding from her ruptured ear. Anytime this happened, the doctors insisted she return for a repeat CT to ensure her hematoma (brain bleed) hadn’t quietly spread. For the past six weeks, we have closely studied her face for any sign of neurological decline.

While the cause of the loss of consciousness was always important, the injuries themselves took priority in the beginning. By 12/10, she was seeing an ENT, neurosurgeon, neurologist, and primary care physician. The temporal bone fracture, ruptured eardrum, hearing loss, and brain bleed each take months to heal, and the possibility of surgery will be re-evaluated in a few months. A month later, it remains too early to determine if surgical intervention is necessary. We will update you as the long-term prognosis becomes more clear.

In the meantime, she is working to regain her cognitive strength and physical endurance while battling incredible pain. As a result, she has been off work since 11/30, and her return date is unclear at this point.

Because she is in otherwise pristine health, her doctors have been operating off the premise that an underlying seizure disorder caused the loss of consciousness, subsequent fall, and head trauma. She has also continued to have small, daily seizures, despite the anti-epilepsy medication she is taking. On 01/12/2022, epilepsy was finally confirmed by an EEG, which showed significant electrical abnormalities in her brain, pointing to a form of epilepsy that has been underlying her whole life. We will update you as we learn more about the specific form of epilepsy, and how this may or may not affect her future.

Due to the severity of her head trauma, expected length of recovery, and vulnerability from previous head injuries, it is crucial that she avoids any major head trauma in the future. To supplement anti-seizure medication (which has yet to prove effective), a service dog (specializing in seizure alert + response) has been recommended. This dog will be trained to pay close attention to Tessa in the event of another grand mal seizure. He will respond by breaking her fall with his body, cuddling her head while she convulses, and eventually, alerting her oncoming seizures so she knows to sit down and call for help. The security and independence he will provide her with is truly remarkable. The assurance and life-saving actions of this dog mean more to her and her family than we can put into words.

While the emergency medical care, extensive rehab (speech, physical, and vestibular therapy), and service dog are essential to her efforts to return to a normal life, the cost is enormous. Although she is uncomfortable asking for help, we, her friends, want to do what we can to help her avoid a significant financial setback while she battles a long and enduring physical and emotional journey.

Anything you can contribute will go such a long way. We are eternally grateful to those of you who have shown our girl so much love already. You have brightened many of her days, and given her so much strength. She has a long journey ahead, but we know she can do it. Let's get our girl back.