Waukee's Taylor Hale Leaves the Hospital

The subject line on Taylor Hale's CarePages page said it all with just one word today: "Homebound."

After 42 days at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, the spunky, 14-year-old Prairieview freshman is going home. Hale's mother, Stacy Henningsen, wrote that Hale would be checking out Thursday.

"Thank you to all your support and love during this time!," Henningsen wrote.

It's been a miraculous road to recovery for the Waukee cheerleader, a journey that began on Sept. 9. While visiting friends after a Waukee football game, Hale and a friend were sitting on the hood of a friend's car in the 16100 block of Boston Parkway in Clive when the friend suddenly sped off, driving fast and swerving. Witnesses said the teens both landed on their feet, but Hale lost her balance and struck her head on the pavement. She was unconscious when she was taken to the hospital, according to the police report. 

Hale's family kept friends and family updated through her CarePages site. In the days immediately following the accident, it was reported that Hale had suffered a severe head injury and that she was under sedation.

On Sept. 19, just 10 days after the accident, Hale woke up. The following day, her ventilator was removed and she was breathing on her own. On Sept. 22, he mother called Hale's progress, "astounding."

Hale's father, Chuck Hale, in an interview with Waukee Patch, said “Doctors don’t have an answer for it. They can’t put words to it. Everything they thought about her, she blew out of the box. What we’ve witnessed is the healing hand of God.”

On Sept. 24, Hale was moved out of the intensive care unit and into her own room where she continued to progress through physical and rehabilitational therapy.

By Oct. 12, Hale had been cleared for an overnight pass so she could go home and sleep in her own bed and see family and friends away from the hospital. And a week later, it was announced that Hale would finally be going home.

"Her schedule will definitely be a little adjusted as school will not happen for a couple more weeks after coming home and will be modified according to what the therapists feels is best for her," wrote Henningsen.

All good news for the Hale and her family, but even better news for those who supported her and her family during the 42-day journey.