Grange gathering Sunday for injured Newry teen

    Tyler James, who suffered a traumatic head injury in a car crash Sept. 29, was released last Friday from Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
    This Sunday, a gathering to offer him support and encouragement will take place at the Bear River Grange Hall in Newry from 2 to 4 p.m.
    Tyler, 17, was in ICU for two days after the accident, followed by 11 days in the inpatient rehab center, according to his mom, Heidi.
    “He suffered a traumatic brain injury to the left side of his brain, which is speech and right-side coordination,” she said Sunday. “He mixes up a few words, and isn’t too comfortable with math, but other than that he’s 100 percent Ty. He said, ‘I’m glad if I had to lose some memory, it was with math and not cars.’”
    “You can talk to him for 10 minutes before you realize he had any type of injury. He kicked the soccer ball around in rehab last week, and is getting stronger each day on his feet.”
    The rehab staff, she said, “loved seeing the amazing progress a healthy and determined young man can make in just over a week.”
    While Tyler was at CMMC, she said, the family brought his dog, Nike, in to visit several times. Now that he is home, Tyler is enjoying Nike’s company, as well as that of his friends.
    Two other teens, Noah Morton, 18, of Newry and Cameron Bouchard, 17, of Upton, were also in the accident but were not injured.
    “We would like to thank the first responders who got to Ty so fast and took such good care of him at the scene and in the ambulance,” said Heidi. “We also believe that his two friends, Noah and Bouche, who bravely did everything they could that night, helped save his life, and for this there are not enough words for our level of love and gratitude.”
    Sunday’s gathering, “Afternoon Tea with Ty,” will include refreshments. For more information call the Newry Town Office at 824-3123.