After traumatic crash, Sjodin returns to crown Wrenshall royalty
Feb. 13—WRENSHALL — Nearly a year after a car crash that left Janae Sjodin debilitated with a traumatic brain injury, the former homecoming queen returned to Wrenshall High School to crown this year's homecoming king and queen.
Sjodin made a true homecoming at Wrenshall homecoming Friday, Feb. 9, to crown incoming king — and younger brother — Judah Sjodin and queen Lexi Swanson.
"It was great to see her come back, just to see the happiness on her face," said John Peterson, Janae's longtime softball and volleyball coach.
After the boys basketball game against the Barnum Bombers, where the
Carlton/Wrenshall Raptors won 71-58,
Janae was led arm-in-arm by another younger brother, Jeshua, and returning homecoming king Wesley Ward through the homecoming archway, where she was met with thunderous applause by a sea of community members as the court of royalty contestants looked on.
"There were so many people around too that were just so happy to see her, just because of what had happened. You never know what is going to happen with traumatic scenarios like that," Peterson said. "To be able to see her come back was very uplifting."
On March 24, Janae was driving with her younger sister, Jaela, south of Wrenshall when she was
struck by a vehicle that blew through the intersection of Carlton County roads 1 and 4.
She was airlifted to Essentia Health in Duluth, where she was treated for a brain injury and multiple broken bones. Jaela was treated for minor injuries.
Janae spent two months in a coma-like state with a bad prognosis. When she regained consciousness she was unable to perform even the most basic of functions, such as eating, talking and walking. Though she uses a walker and still has a hard time processing information, after months of extensive therapy, Janae is making serious strides.
"The brain is still recovering and that's really slow and it's hard to determine where or how far her recovery will come, but she's doing very well right now," said Angela Sjodin, Janae's mother.
After the crash, Janae's parents worked tirelessly to get Janae the best possible care. However, because of the severity of her condition, she was denied treatment in Minnesota.
Her parents wanted to get her treated at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, a renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in neurorehabilitation. Their insurance initially refused to cover treatment at Craig, but Janae's parents insisted and Janae's treatment was eventually approved. Once she transferred to Craig, it wasn't long until she started responding to her environment and people around there.
After being discharged from Craig in October, she returned to Wrenshall and continued a five days a week rehab program at Essentia Health in Duluth. In January, she started outpatient rehab, where she spends three days a week in therapy.
"She was used to doing things every day, because when she got in her accident she was in school and she did three seasons of sports, so she's used to going every day and doing things every day," Angela said.
Though she is making serious gains and is outperforming some of her worst prognoses, there is no set timeline for recovery.
"People say that when you've seen one brain injury, you've seen one brain injury," Angela said, referring to the uncertainty of a traumatic brain injury.
Once she has recovered enough to become more independent, Janae said she would like to go to college. According to Angela, Janae's professional aspirations of either working in law enforcement or becoming a teacher fluctuate almost daily.
"We pray that she can go to college someday," Angela said.
In the meantime, Janae is taking her recovery day-by-day.
"I would like to let people know that God has been with me through this whole journey and that without him I would not be able to do this," Janae said through email.
