WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — In November of last year, Nacole Bartolet survived a car crash and suffered a brain injury that put her in the hospital for a couple of months after being in a coma.
"It was stressful, but I got through it," she said. "It could've been worse."
Nacole has since returned home to her family and did something doctors weren't sure she would be able to do.
When WTOL 11 first talked with Nacole in January, she was a senior at Anthony Wayne High School and Penta Career Center. She couldn't walk and could barely talk, but a lot was going through her mind.
"I didn't think I was going to graduate," she said.
Nacole's mom, Cassie Greulich, said doctors' outlook on Cassie's ability to walk at graduation didn't discourage her, though.
"It's a guarantee that she's not going to graduate this year," Greulich said when describing what doctors told the family. "When we heard that, we thought we have to prove them wrong."
So, day after day, nurses and physical therapists worked with Nacole to teach her how to walk again.
"Multiple therapies, multiple times a week, just getting her to a point where we can achieve the goals that we set," Greulich said.
After four months of hard work, Nacole was handed her diploma while walking under her own power.
"I think it's something that we're going to hold dear for a long time," Greulich said. "Way more than our own graduations."
The road to recovery for Nacole has been a long one. Although the journey to get where she is now hasn't been easy, it's a reminder of how far she's come and that she's still alive.
"Her and her brother are playing soccer outside, racing each other through the driveway," Greulich said. "The things that you want your kids to do. We're back at being able to do those things."
Nacole said all this wouldn't be possible without the doctors and nurses. But most importantly, her family.
"They make me happy," she said. "They make me feel like I have a reason for doing it all."
Nacole graduated from Penta with a small animal care certificate. She said after a year of more recovery, she plans to go to college to become a veterinarian.
As for the boyfriend who was in the crash with Nacole, the family says he is in Chicago in rehab and is also starting to walk again.