Graduation walk is accident victim's latest triumph

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- On March 7, 2009, at 1:40 a.m., Amy Stewart's life changed forever.

Stewart, then 22 and a student at the University at Buffalo, was walking down the Main Street sidewalk in Snyder that cold, rainy morning. When she and a good friend, Rachel Baird, tried to cross with the light at an intersection near Daemen College, a SUV veered around another car that had stopped to let them pass. It hit them both, then left the scene.

Doctors questioned whether Stewart -- in a coma for almost two weeks after the accident -- would walk again, or even survive. Baird, then 21, was in the hospital with a litany of injuries, including liver and kidney damage and broken bones.

But after two years of struggle, hard work and dedication, Stewart will take her place on stage in the Center for the Arts on May 13, trying to keep her excitement under wraps until her name is called and she walks across and off the stage with a well-earned diploma from UB's Graduate School of Education.

Only those who were there for the dark days can appreciate how far she has come.

Stewart suffered critical brain injuries after the accident and was sent to the Erie County Medical Center's trauma unit. When her parents, Robert and Ann Marie, arrived they were told their daughter had a subdural hematoma and was in a coma. She would need seven surgeries to save her life.

It took almost two weeks, but on March 21, she opened her eyes. At that point, she says, the people around her found reason to hope.

But Stewart had a long road to travel. She required physical, occupational and speech therapy, and needed to learn how to walk again. In the hospital, she was fed through a feeding tube, then gradually went to a puréed food diet because she had trouble swallowing.

After 75 days, Stewart went home to Grand Island to continue her recovery.

"I just felt like these are the cards I was dealt, so I just have to deal with it," Stewart says. "I'm just so grateful that I'm alive."

She swam in her pool and rode a stationary bike to strengthen her muscles. After being discharged from physical therapy, she hired a personal trainer at a local health club. Soon, she was able to set aside her walker and use a cane. Now she walks unassisted.

"I wasn't supposed to be walking, but I'm walking," Stewart says. "So why would I ever complain that something's hard or something hurts? It could have been so much worse."

The news is also good for Stewart's friend, Baird. A Syracuse native, she will graduate from the GSE in September following the summer tutoring coursework she must complete for her literacy specialist degree. Baird now works as a high school reading teacher.

Stewart's UB triumph will come first, though. Her six-year road to graduation culminates in the May 13 commencement ceremony.

"I feel good. I'm very excited to be graduating," Stewart says. "School has been very difficult since my brain injury, but I've been able to do it because anything with teaching comes second nature to me."

Because of the accident, Stewart had to change her major from literacy specialist to childhood education with an emphasis in literacy. She says the analytical coursework required of a literacy specialist was too difficult for her to master with her brain injury, and the stress was too great.

But the change allowed her to be more successful, and she's happy with how it turned out. She's certified to teach children from birth through grade six, and hopes to find a job working with children with disabilities.

Stewart has returned to her job as a reading aide in the Sweet Home School District. She's made it a priority to visit the classroom where children with disabilities are taught.

"I feel like I have such a connection and such a love for them," she says. "I just feel connected because at one time, I felt I had a disability, but I was able to heal, whereas these students don't have the opportunity to heal."

Stewart attributes much of her success to her support systems, both at home and at UB. Jim Collins, professor and interim chair of UB's Department of Learning and Instruction, couldn't be prouder.

"Amy will not only graduate with her master's in education, she has also earned our utmost respect," Collins says. "In fact, the student organization for learning and instruction in the Graduate School of Education gave Amy an award for courage and perseverance at the annual awards banquet. We're inspired by Amy's tenacity, hard work and dedication."

Maureen Boyd, a literacy professor in UB's Graduate School of Education and Stewart's academic advisor, has been her ally and mentor since she began her graduate work.

"Amy was a student in my class when the accident occurred. I have witnessed her remarkable recovery," Boyd says. "Someone like Amy -- someone who has experienced such a life-altering event -- could settle for 'average.' But Amy is determined and hard-working; she has set high goals and standards for her recovery, and she keeps pushing forward, demanding more of herself.

"As her mom told me, 'She will never be a quitter.' Amy is an inspiration."

The Graduate School of Education will hold its commencement ceremony from 9-10:30 a.m. May 13. Contact Charles Anzalone at UB's Office of Communications at 716-645-4600 for interview requests, or 716-440-8824 onsite on graduation day.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.