In May 2004, Tim Culver (BBA’ 84) received news that his wife, Sara (BS ’84, MS ’85), had suffered a stroke. With three children still at home and the oldest child heading off to serve in Iraq, Tim was devastated. After 10 days in ICU, he was told his wife would never walk, talk, or interact with people again.
Sara spent three months doing in-patient rehab before the recommendation came that she needed to be moved to a nursing home, because she would need 24-7 care the rest of her life. Tim, however, was still seeing improvements, and thus refused the recommendation. He fought his insurance company to get Sara into a special center that treats traumatic brain injuries; three months later, she went home and walked up the stairs without assistance. Today, she drives, takes care of her children and has returned to work.
That, of course, is the short version of their story; one could write many, many more words about what such a battle meant to the Culvers, not to mention the ocean of tears shared by the entire family over the past five years. Tim, now a doctoral student at Baylor in addition to his full-time job at AT&T, has captured the entire tale in the book Sara’s Story, released earlier this fall. An inspiring chronicle, and best of all, one with a happy ending for the Culvers!
Sic ’em, Culver family!
