Waking to a Wonderful World

Only a week after emerging from nearly three months in a coma, Amanda Arthur on Thursday used one word, though barely audible, to sum up a recovery so impressive that a team of doctors and piles of medical reports still cannot fully explain it.

“Wonderful,” she whispered, gazing at the bouquet of microphones and crowd of strangers that clustered around her.

And then, in a giddy burst of nervousness not uncommon for girls her age, Arthur, 17, flashed the picture-perfect grin for which she is loved.

“My daughter, she truly is a miracle,” said Chris Maese, wiping away tears. “God is doing mighty work here.”

Arthur, a cheerleader and pep squad captain at Newport Harbor High School, was critically injured in a May 23 car wreck that killed an 18-year-old classmate, Donald “Donnie” Bridgman.

She was one of 10 school friends who were squeezed into a sport utility vehicle that was speeding when it flipped over on a curving road along Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach.

Felony vehicular manslaughter charges have been filed against Jason Rausch, 18, who was the designated driver at the time because other underage youths were drinking alcohol. He has pleaded not guilty.

Although the charges have divided the community--many think Rausch is being treated too harshly--Newport Beach and Costa Mesa residents have rallied around Arthur and her family, holding fund-raisers and praying for her recovery.

Arthur spoke for the first time last week, uttering a simple “Hi!” to her stunned and sobbing mother. Doctors and physical therapists have been working with Arthur at Meridian Neuro Care Center since June 30, when she was transferred from Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

The patient is now able to brush her hair, walk short distances with help and speak simple sentences, a development her doctors call “remarkable.” Last week, she dressed in her cheerleading uniform to pose for a photograph with the rest of the squad.

“We knew from the beginning Amanda had the potential to recover,” said Bill Rowlett, a respiratory therapist and director of Meridian Neuro Care. “She just had a spark in her eyes, a lightness.”

Physical therapist Bruce Kuluris said that although most patients who have suffered brain injury show significant progress in the first year, Arthur’s improvement has already been exceptional. The crash injured the part of her brain that regulates blood pressure and body temperature.

“She’s progressing quickly, very fast,” Kuluris said. “It’s very exciting.”

Tiffani Arthur, who wheeled her younger sister out to the hospital patio Thursday, beamed as Amanda, who turns 18 next month, quietly declared her birthday wish: a visit from the cast of her favorite TV show, “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Aaron Spelling, producer of the popular television show, said in a statement Thursday that he planned to have a limo take her to the Los Angeles set to meet the cast.

Still, Arthur’s recuperation has just begun, the doctors warned.

Much of the right side of her body remains paralyzed, and she is unable to maintain her balance. She is months, perhaps years, from a full recovery, they said.

But the worst part is over, Arthur’s mother stressed.

Also attending Arthur’s emotional debut Thursday was Vickie Bridgman, whose son died in the crash. Bridgman said Arthur’s recovery is a “rare beam of light.”