Ajla K.🖤 Tampa,FL

I feel good, tired but grateful. Life has been full lately. My husband and I got married on October 29, 2023, and now we are expecting our first baby boy in April. It has been emotional, but in the best way.

I was born in Bosnia in April 1992, right as the war started. My family and I escaped the conflict and came to Florida when I was about 2. I do not remember much of it, but I have always carried that sense of resilience. My parents did the ultimate job of starting over, and because of them, I have always known what strength looks like.

I was always fascinated by the brain. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon one day. I studied Computational Biology and Neuroscience at Florida State and later earned my master’s at the University of South Florida. Everything in me was drawn to understanding how the mind works.

On March 16, 2018, I was in a severe hit-and-run motorcycle accident near Orlando. A white Nissan Rogue hit me in my lane. I do not remember anything, but I woke up from a coma after three brain surgeries and had suffered twenty five years of long-term memory loss. I did not even recognize my parents for the first few days. It was terrifying, but somehow I was still here.

The first two years after a traumatic brain injury are critical. I went through physical, occupational, and speech therapy. My left side was paralyzed at first. My mom played music and worked my limbs every day. My family never left my side. They kept me alive when I could not fight for myself.

It means I refuse to give up. I am Bosnian, an Aries, and a survivor. Doctors called me a miracle child. That stubbornness became my strength. I have scars on my head from the surgeries. Each one is proof that I made it through something that tried to end me.

It made me see myself differently. Before, I thought strength meant independence. Now I know strength is also about surrender and patience. My scars remind me that life tried to break me but failed. They are not flaws, they are stories.

That chapter was wild and freeing. I will always love the memories, but I have not been on a bike since the accident. I sold both of them. I think that season taught me courage, and the next one taught me wisdom.

I connect deeply with animals. I have had dogs, birds, and even a bearded dragon. They are pure souls. They teach us about presence, trust, and unconditional love. I think they helped me heal too.

It has grounded me. Love and motherhood have shown me that being strong is not about fighting alone, it is about building something that lasts. I want to raise a child who is strong minded and never gives up, no matter what life throws at them. I want my child to know that strength begins at home. Never give up, never let life make you weak, and always stand tall no matter what comes your way. Listen, learn, and take in every lesson your mom teaches you, because resilience is something you live, not something you talk about.

Love is everything. My husband met me after the accident. He did not see me as broken, he saw me as whole. That kind of love restores faith in people, in life, and in yourself.

The accident changed my path but not my purpose. I still work in neuroscience as a lab manager for twenty two research labs at the University of South Florida. I may not operate on brains, but I am still helping understand them. The brain is still my favorite organ, maybe now even more.

Do not let life win. You can rebuild from anything. Even a broken brain can heal. The key is patience, support, and faith in yourself. Keep showing up. Every scar, every setback, is proof you are still fighting.

It means that everyone carries something unseen. You can look at me and never know I have had three brain surgeries or that my parents were war refugees. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you cannot see. That is why compassion matters.

I would want them to know that no matter what happens, you can always start again. Pain can build you into something stronger. Life does not break you, it shapes you.

I am living proof that even when life rewrites your story, you can still hold the pen. Keep going, keep fighting, and never forget that every heart truly has a story.