After stroke left her paralyzed, North Texas teen walks again and graduates
Dawson Oliver was supposed to be picking out earrings for prom. Instead, her mother was praying she'd make a sound — any sound at all.
"She's always been a kid who worked hard. She was dedicated to whatever she did. She was kind, she was thoughtful," said Hilary Hightower. "She was a killer on the softball field. She was a natural on the back of a horse. All the things you hope your kid is and will be."
Stroke changed everything overnight
It's not easy for Hightower to talk about her daughter.
"We were supposed to go pick out earrings for prom that day, you know? And it's just things like that that seem so small. So insignificant that you're just like, I'd give anything to be looking for earrings right now," she said.
In March 2024, Hightower's 16-year-old daughter suffered multiple strokes and was rushed to the hospital.
"Her eyes are open, but she's not responsive. Like she can't focus, she's not seeing anybody. She can't respond to your questions, she can't focus on you," said Hightower.
Doctors feared permanent brain damage
Dawson was placed in an induced coma and was fighting for her life.
"There was finally a day when I just asked, because she hadn't woken up yet. I asked, 'Is she going to have brain damage'? The doctor said it is likely, but we just won't know until she wakes up," said Hightower.
The stroke left Oliver completely paralyzed. She couldn't talk. She couldn't swallow.
Doctors began preparing the family for a future with little hope.
"I would literally just pray for her to be able to make a noise. I didn't care what it was, but just so she could get my attention," said Hightower.
Oliver refused to give up
But that wasn't a future Oliver was ready to accept.
"Absolutely not. You do not tell me that I cannot do something," she said.
The family moved Oliver to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, where she focused on one goal.
"The only thing I wanted to do was walk. I did not care about anything else," said Oliver.
Therapy helped her regain strength
While she was only able to communicate with her eyes, Oliver put all her energy toward walking.
"My physical therapist would put me in a machine to help me walk, and then we upgraded to one where I was doing most of the walking; she was just behind me for support," she said.
Oliver walked out of the hospital and into her senior year of high school.
"At the beginning of my senior year, I was walking with a crutch," said Oliver.
Graduation marked a major milestone
By the end of the year, she was walking on her own — across the biggest stage of her life.
"Everyone cheered," she said. "A moment I'll never forget."
"This kid renewed my faith, and she showed me a grace under fire I didn't know existed," said Hightower. "And watching her just grind it out and literally put one foot in front of another when it was the hardest thing to do made me so proud to be her mom. I don't think there's a kid alive that could have done what she did."