A star basketball player who was medically induced into a coma following a car crash earlier this year completed a 3.1-mile cross-country training race last week at her Michigan high school, according to the Grand Rapids Press.
As Mary Kathryn Lefere ran the final 500 yards of the course, she was joined by members of both the boys' and girls' cross-country teams while a close friend ran beside her. Her parents cheered her on from the sidelines alongside a crowd populated by many total strangers who came out to support the comeback of the Catholic Central athletic standout.
"I told everyone I was going to run, and they were, like, 'No, you're not,'" Lefere told the publication. "I was excited. Honestly, all day I was so excited. I just wanted to be out there, because I've always loved cross country."
Following the March 5 car collision, Lefere has been hard at work in occupational therapy after school from Monday to Thursday. Her regimen includes tightening wingnuts to enhance her motor skills, improving her range of motion by stretching with her physical therapist and reading a road map to work her cognitive skills.
The Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists oversees those with occupational therapy jobs and occupational therapy assistants in the state.