RICHARDSON, Texas — Sarah Mendenhall is described as the girl who never stops singing. She picks up any instrument she can, and loves playing the guitar and piano. Music is her passion.
Her dad, Scott Mendenhall, is always in the audience. He attends her plays and watches her hit the big notes.
In October 2016, the day came when Scott wondered if he would ever hear his daughter's voice again. Sarah fell very ill. "Dad's fix. Dad's want to fix," Scott said. "This was the thing that we couldn't."
At first, it seemed like symptoms of the flu, including nausea and fever. A few days later, Sarah lost consciousness and couldn't move.
She was a senior in high school when this happened. Mendenhall went to three hospitals. At Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Neurologist Dr. Greenberg diagnosed her with Acute Flaccid Myelitis, a polio-like illness.
"The last thing I remember is [my step-mom] kind of standing over me and saying we're going to the hospital," said Sarah. She spent 41 days in the intensive care unit, and it was a blur.
Sarah was paralyzed from the neck down. There were days when her family didn't know if she would make it. "My question every day is, is Sarah goin to survive this? It was yes, yes, yes. And then one day, it was we're not so sure," said her father.
Sarah fought for her life. One day at a time, she was able to move her thumb, and eventually wiggle her toe. Small improvements were big milestones.
She started physical, occupational and respiratory therapy while in the ICU, recommended by Dr. Greenberg. He leads a team with Children's Health and UT Southwestern, focusing on AFM research. He has been tracking cases of AFM over the years.
"She is a remarkable person who has worked extremely hard to get to where she is today," Dr. Greenberg said.
Sarah was determined to get better, and proves that rehabilitation is necessary when someone has AFM.
"My feeling in my right leg is not 100 percent," said Sarah. She may never fully get to the way she was before, but Sarah is walking. She is a freshman in college. She is playing the guitar. And she is singing again.
In the words of her father, "I look at her. I think she's a badass."