PORTSMOUTH, Va. - A Portsmouth teen beat the odds and graduated from high school after being in a coma for five months.
Nada Edwards said from the moment she woke up, her goal was to graduate with her classmates.
Nada Edwards walks across the stage
With the help of a walker, last week she walked across the stage at Old Dominion University to receive her diploma.
“That’s always been my number one goal,” said Nada, “walk across the stage for graduation.”
“When she took her first set of SOLs and they were like, ‘She passed them and she’s going to be able to graduate,' we were just floored,” said her mom, Alice Edwards.
Her mom said it was tough to get her back in school, but once she did she said the teachers at Woodrow Wilson High School were amazing.
“Teachers would come to the house and work with her,” said Alice.
In October 2017, Nada was hospitalized after being in a car crash in Chesapeake. She said she was in the car with her little brother, who called 911.
“He is her little lifesaver. He saved her life,” said Alice.
They said another vehicle T-boned the car and left Nada unconscious.
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At first, they didn’t know if Nada was going to survive. Her mother said she was by her daughter's side each day.
“They told me they didn’t think that she would wake up and if she did, she would be a vegetable and as a mom, you don’t accept that,” said Alice.
But after five months in a coma, Nada opened her eyes.
“Literally, God just flipped a switch and she was back. There is no way to describe it,” said Alice.
Then another miracle - Nada spoke again and told her mom she loved her.
Now, she continues to go to physical therapy, has worked hard and says she plans to attend Norfolk State University in the fall.
“Amazing just doesn’t begin to explain what we’ve been through,” said Alice.
Nada beat the odds, fought hard and now has big plans to major in social work. She wants to be a counselor in hopes of helping others through difficult experiences.
