Ashley Poland, 18, says she is extremely thankful to be graduating from Central High School this June. She even knows what she wants to do with her life, which is unique from most typical high school graduates.

A survivor of a traumatic brain injury from a serious snowmobile accident in March 2007, Poland said her recovery has given her a greater appreciation for life and all its gifts.

“I am stronger because I look at the world differently. I’m so grateful for my life and for my family and friends. Since the accident, I feel like I got a second chance at life. I have a stronger faith and feel that God was telling me to wake up and change my life,” Poland said. “I believe I am here because God has a specific purpose for my future and I really want to help people.”

After an extremely challenging year filled with therapy and school work, “I’m going to graduate this June,” Poland said proudly.

Poland credits the devotion of her mother, father and sister for encouraging and supporting her through a difficult recovery experience. Poland said she is grateful for other people in her life and felt it important to share how her physical therapist and speech therapist at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester inspired and pushed her to strive.

Poland said her boss at Harborside Healthcare in Bedford, where she works part-time as a dietary aide in the kitchen, has been extremely supportive and patient.

“Also, Mr. Forrest Ransdell, assistant principal of Central High School, was unbelievable to me. He really cared and wanted me to succeed,” she said.

“Ashley is an amazing young lady. She has the drive and perseverance to overcome the challenges that would have leveled most people. She has worked very hard to achieve and is really trying to help people with her experience. You can tell she truly cares and she is such a nice person,” Ransdell said.

Before the accident, Poland said she loved sports and was an avid volleyball and basketball player. A lifelong snowmobiler since she was 7 years old, Poland went riding with her father and grandfather in Maine on the day before her birthday.

“My whole family is big on snowmobiling,” she explained. During this trip, she decided to try her father’s snowmobile. “My dad and grandfather were taking a break and I wanted to try my dad’s snowmobile. I took a trail by myself and said I would be back.”

Poland said she really didn’t think anything bad could happen. She wasn’t used to her father’s snowmobile and was looking at the speedometer instead of the approaching trees at the end of the path. She said she wanted to see how fast she could go and was going 85 mph when she crashed.

“My helmet was on, but it wasn’t strapped,” she said. Their cell phones didn’t work, so Poland’s grandfather went to find a house to call 911. Being in the middle of nowhere, it took 45 minutes for help to arrive. She was flown by helicopter to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, where she stayed for a week.

Poland said she doesn’t remember much about her hospital stay because she slept through most of it. She said she suffered a nasal bone fracture, orbital fracture, temporal bone fracture, two lacerations on her head, cranial fractures and a hematoma behind her right eye, as well as many cuts and bruises over her body.

Poland went to Catholic Medical Center, where she received physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Poland said she missed the last three months of school to recover. Furthermore, on top of all of her out-patient therapy, she worked with a tutor to complete her junior year in order to graduate on time.

Poland said she continues to deal with chronic dizziness, headaches, nausea, sensory overload, neck and back problems and memory loss. Poland said she is 85 percent back to normal, but she really struggles with her memory and sometimes gets confused in trying to find the right words.

“It can be overwhelming. I have to write everything down or it won’t get done,” she said. Depression was also something she had to overcome, but understanding her purpose and staying focused on her goals has diminished it.

According to Poland, the entire experience has made her life’s purpose more clear. Poland has been accepted to Manchester Technical College, where she said she will study exercise science and then will apply to a four-year college to become a physical therapist. Poland said she hopes her story will help inspire other children through their recovery.

“I want to be a physical therapist for children, so I can help them achieve their goals, be healthy and realize they’re not alone,” she said. “There was something about the recovery process and therapy that inspired me, and I know this is something I want to do with my life.”

Since the accident, Poland volunteers for the Brain Injury Association in Concord as a guest speaker in the community to help improve safety awareness and provide insight about the complexities of the brain injury recovery process. She said the Brain Injury Association was extremely helpful to her family by providing information and resources about how to deal with her injury and recovery.

Poland said that, though snowmobiling is fun, it is also very dangerous. At local Fish and Game centers and snowmobiling certification classes, Poland talks to students about three areas of safety in snowmobiling: “Wear your helmet, and make sure it is strapped on. Speed is fun, but be careful. Don’t go alone, and always stay in a group,” Poland said.

Though Poland has fun memories of snowmobiling, the accident has changed her outlook on the sport.

“I don’t think I will ever ride a snowmobile again. I’m afraid and also the risk of a brain injury would be so much worse.” Poland also said she can no longer participate in contact sports.

“At first, I didn’t know what to do with myself because I loved and played sports.” She said she has found other things to focus on, and now has plenty to do with her school work, church youth group, public speaking and a part-time job. Natalie Poland said she considers her daughter to be a miracle child.

“It really is a miracle that she is here, and I believe God wants her here for a purpose. Everything happened for a reason and for the good, because now she is helping others. She has come a long way and is doing really well. On the exterior Ashley looks fine, but the brain takes a long time to heal and she still has so much to deal with to this day. It has been a long year, but she worked hard. She is going to graduate from high school and now she wants to become a physical therapist,” her mother said.

Ashley Poland said she is looking forward to celebrating her graduation.

“I’m so excited and it is going to feel great after everything I’ve been through. Everyone in my family has been so supportive and helpful,” Poland said. “I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for them. You really need people to get you through something like this and I know I can help others, too.”