SAN ANTONIO — It’s an important moment in every young Latina’s life, but Sophia Munson’s Quinceañera was extra special - the result of years of work.
“Her ability to stay for a whole party is different, you know? So we made it at a small location here at Studio 360,” said Munson’s mother Jackie Martinez.
Sophia had a stroke after a 2019 car accident in Corpus Christi that left her unable to use the right side of her body. She was ten years old.
Sophia’s parents say her short-term memory was damaged, but her memories from before the accident remain, including her dream of dancing with her father at her Quinceañera.
“Well, the daddy-daughter dance was, was something that's going to be in our memory for a very, very long time," said Sophia’s father, Steven Munson.
It took over a year before Sophia spoke again. Soon after her voice returned, she used it to advocate for people with disabilities.
“One thing that she did last year to help them was to obtain the very first mobile changing units for people with disabilities in the country here in San Antonio,” Munson said.
Her parents said her journey to recovery has been like a marathon, and they still have a lot of road ahead of them.
“Every brain injury is different. Every child is different. But when you deal with a child in a brain injury, you’re dealing with a different realm because they're still growing, they're still learning and an experience in life. So, where her injury it is: her brain is just retraining itself,” Martinez said.
One treatment they found promising was hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves sealing her in a chamber and feeding oxygen directly to her brain.
“We know that as we did some of the sessions, we could see her focus a little bit better. We could see her look at people better," Martinez said.
But the procedure is not covered by their insurance and a series of sessions can cost thousands of dollars. They have set up a gofundme page for people to help with the costs.
“For her birthday, that's what our goal is, to raise money for hyperbaric therapy," Martinez said.