The annual Thank You Run 5K in 4S Ranch did more than support ALS research. It also marked a new beginning for a 6-year-old San Diego girl who was in a coma eight months ago.
“If you told me this six-months ago that she would be able to walk three miles, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Valerie Bach about her daughter, Natalie Kheir-Beyck.
The young girl fell out of a second story window headfirst and landed on the hard patio below.
“An accident that happened in an instant,” said Bach. “It was horrific to find her.”
She broke her skull in three places. Doctors put her in a coma for three weeks to treat her brain injuries. Doctors told Natalie’s parents there was a significant chance the fall would be fatal.
It was a shock to mom. The young girl was born with a heart defect and needed a total heart repair surgery at three-months-old. Natalie already endured a child’s fair share.
“The survival rates weren’t great,” recalled mom.
However, Natalie survived the heart surgery and the fall.
“She is a fighter,” said mom.
Valerie said her daughter still struggles with words and learning could prove difficult.
Against the odds, Natalie wanted to run in the Thanksgiving Day 5K with her mom.
“She’s got a lot of life to live,” said Valerie who crossed the line after her daughter.
“Honestly, she’s come so far in eight months.”
