`For my daughters`
March 23--Mindy Tran, 22, and her twin daughters had been living in a homeless shelter when they were lucky enough to find housing in a duplex at 18 Marston St. in Lawrence. The girls, Saleen and Sydney, were in a new day care and Tran, who recently became a certified medical assistant, was job hunting.
Tran felt like things were coming together for her and her 2-year-olds.
Then came the evening of March 6.
Tran's Honda Accord was backed into her short, but steep driveway abutting busy Marston Street. Saleen and Sydney were buckled into their car seats and the car was running. Tran stood outside the car, chatting on her cell phone. She was going to take the girls for something to eat.
But as rush-hour traffic whizzed past, the Accord started rolling down the driveway, heading into Marston Street.
In a heartbeat, Tran ran to the front of the car, desperately pushing on the hood, trying to stop the 2,000-pound sedan -- with her toddlers inside -- from rolling into the street. "I just kept holding it, trying to get a grip on it," she said.
But Tran, who stands just 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 130 pounds, proved no match for the moving Accord.
The car rolled over her, trapping her underneath the rear axle.
"When I went under the car, that's when I could hear my daughters crying," Tran said. "They didn't start crying until they couldn't see me anymore."
Her new next door neighbor -- who she didn't even know -- crawled under the car and tried to calm her down. Another grabbed a jack and tools and tried to lift the car off her. Firefighters came and used specialized airbags to lift the car up.
The whole extrication took about an hour. Tran remained conscious the entire time. The car with her girls buckled inside never went into Marston Street.
"I remember everything. At one point, I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I tried to stay calm. And a firefighter was talking to me," she said. "But I knew my daughters were freaking out. I could hear them."
Deputy Lawrence Fire Chief John McInnis said he was amazed by Tran's actions and composure.
"I gotta tell you, she was so calm. It was amazing with the amount of pain that poor lady was in," he said.
Before she was loaded into a waiting ambulance, Tran told paramedics she couldn't feel anything from her waist down. On the way to Lawrence General Hospital, Tran said she lost consciousness.
'I will walk again'
Two and a half weeks later, Tran has just started a morning physical therapy session at Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem, N.H.
With a giant grin, she greets visitors, chats easily and breaks into laughter often.
Tran is happy to report she has feeling below her waist. And she stressed, "I will be able to walk again one day."
Her pelvis is fractured on both sides. She has severe injuries to both legs and a separated left shoulder. Right after the accident, she was first taken to Lawrence General Hospital and taken by medical helicopter minutes later to Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She's had one surgery there already and another one is coming up, possibly this week, at Tufts.
But for now, the rehab hospital will be Tran's home. Here, she is medicated for pain around-the-clock. But there is little down time, as Tran works with both physical and occupational therapists to maintain her strength and mobility.
Tran can't do any weight bearing exercise now. So occupational therapists are showing her how to complete everyday tasks while she's seated -- including dressing herself in bed, using a commode and taking a shower using benches.
Tran also uses hand weights and resistance bands to strengthen her upper body -- which she will need to rely on heavily in the coming months as she recovers.
For now, the twins will stay with Tran's mom. On April 13, the girls turn 3. Staffers are helping plan a birthday party for them at the hospital.
A native of Salem, Mass., Tran said she's moved around a lot and faced many obstacles in her life. She dropped out of Lawrence High School but later obtained her GED. She recently attended the Lare School, a training school in North Andover, to become a certified medical assistant. Valley Works Career Services paid for her training, she said.
"I really want to say thank you to everyone. ... The firefighters, the police officers," Tran said.
When she's better, Tran said she wants to take her daughters to meet all the rescuers who helped her that day.
"The mother response. You will do anything to save your child," noted Naomi Gardner, a founder of Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital.
Tran couldn't agree more.
"I just wanted to keep my daughters safe," she said.
She plans to conquer her injuries and recover. For her kids.
"I've gone through a lot. So many odds. But I beat them all," Tran said. "You gotta be a role model for your kids."
A fund has been established to help Mindy Tran and her twin daughters, Saleen and Sydney. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/motherlove.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
A fund has been established to help Mindy Tran and her twin daughters, Saleen and Sydney. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/motherlove
Copyright 2014 - The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
