WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — A Whitehouse teenager has been recovering in the hospital since November 2023 after a life-threatening car accident that left her in a coma with a brain injury.
"In those moments our life stopped, the world stopped spinning, everything stopped, and all that mattered was making her better," Nacole Bartolet's mother, Cassie Greulich, said.
Bartolet, who was 17 years old at the time of the Monclova Township crash, was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center "where the staff here quite frankly saved her life," Greulich said.
"Our world stopped in that moment, but the rest of the world keeps going," she said.
Bartolet, now 18, has since undergone numerous surgeries and regaining some of her motor skills.
"Just to start from where we were, it's amazing to be able to be here and have the progress we've had and know that we're going to continue to have progress as we move forward."
Bartolet was in the passenger's seat with her boyfriend, Reichen Whitmer, who was driving. According to the Nov. 11 crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the car went left of center and hit a parked utility truck on Lose Road in Monclova Township.
Firefighters used the jaws of life to extricate the two teens. Troopers say both were rushed to the hospital and put on ventilators. In the report, it states a security camera shows the car going at a "high rate of speed."
Whitmer is also recovering in the hospital after the crash, but his family declined an interview.
Bartolet's family said they're trying to keep focused on both teens and their recovery.
"We both have kids that we love that are in a tragedy, and we are trying to do everything we can to be there for them and navigate our new normal," Greulich said.
A community-organized GoFundMe has raised more than $6,500 for Bartolet's medical costs.
"The support from that is really what kind of helped her (us) be there by her side and not worry so much about the day-to-day things," Greulich said of the GoFundMe.
Bartolet is now a senior at Anthony Wayne High School and the Penta Career Center, and her family hopes she will be able to attend her graduation ceremony in June.
"Her goal is to be able to walk across that stage, and of course, we support that," Greulich said. "We're going to do everything we can to make it happen."
Bartolet will undergo further rehabilitation at a center in Columbus.
Both Bartolet and Whitmer's families are hosting a benefit on Feb. 4 to raise funds for both of the teens' recovery. It will take place at The Distillery at 4311 Heatherdowns Blvd from 1-8:30 p.m.