Story of Survival: After traumatic brain injury, Glenpool teen fights her way back to life

 At 17, Lexi Layton was a varsity athlete and CrossFit competitor at Glenpool High School.

Today, she’s a traumatic brain injury survivor who’s spent nearly 100 days in the hospital and countless hours since rebuilding a life she almost lost.

"I went through the grieving process for the girl I once was, and for the friends I once had, and all of the resentment," Lexi said.

In the summer of 2020, Lexi was a passenger in a side-by-side UTV that was struck by a vehicle. Her father and brother pulled her unresponsive body from the wreckage. Her mother performed CPR before she was airlifted to a hospital.

Lexi’s injuries were extensive: broken bones, internal trauma, and a severe brain injury. She nearly died from sepsis during her hospital stay.

Still, Lexi made a promise to herself and her doctors that she would walk across the stage at her high school graduation.

"I told my doctors in the hospital, I was going to walk across the graduation stage,” she said. “And of course, everyone goes, ‘Of course you will, honey, yeah.’"

Eight months later, she kept that promise. And it was only the beginning.

"In my backyard, I taught myself to throw myself out of the wheelchair and get onto the ground where the yoga mat was," she said. "I would do stretches, sit-ups, very basic."

Her former CrossFit coach brought her to the gym three days a week. While other athletes trained, Lexi worked quietly in the back of the room, teaching her body how to move again.

"I really did start with not being able to sit up when I came out of the hospital, to, like, here I am," she said.

Driving was another milestone. For a fiercely independent teen, losing that freedom was one of the hardest parts of recovery. So she learned to drive with hand controls and passed the necessary tests.

"At the risk of sounding cliché, it really did build me into who I am today, because I didn’t ever know I was this tough," she said.



Today, Lexi is still pushing herself mentally, physically, and academically. It’s taken her four years, but she’s earned 37 college credit hours.

Doctors were unsure how much she could regain. Lexi’s response? Work hard, and adapt to whatever doesn’t return.

"If they didn’t know and I didn’t know, then I’m going to work as hard as I can,” she said. “And whatever I don’t get back, I will be strong enough to compensate for it."

On tough days, rest helps her reset. But quitting isn’t in her vocabulary.

"You’re stronger than you ever thought," she said. "It doesn’t help stressing unless you’re going to do something about the thing you’re stressing about. So get up and do it."