Kids & Family
Local Brain Injury Survivor Nears Return to 'Normalcy'
North Hampton's Myla Gott is making "phenomenal" and interesting gains as she begins the second round of special treatments.
If you were to ask Bill Gott as little as one year ago where he thought his daughter might be in her recovery from a 2009 traumatic brain injury, he probably would've mentioned something along the lines of her working to regain the ability to speak or walk, or for her to at least make strides in that direction.
Yoga probably wasn't anywhere near the top of that list.
Thanks to the determined efforts, though, of 22-year-old Myla Gott and hands-on specialized treatments designed to rewire her brain, yoga is — along with a slew of other things — in fact now a reality in 2013.
At first glace, the improvements the North Hampton resident has made over the past year, largely thanks to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and a licensed nurse's aid, looks more like a list of things that her doctors thought she'd never be able to do again after a severe 2009 crash caused a diffuse axonal brain injury.
Those improvements include: significant use and range of motion on her right side and hand, such as the ability to open and close her hand without difficulty as well as shake someone else's hand; the limited ability to speak without the use of electronic devices; the ability to feed, shower, dress, and clean herself; the ability to balance herself while walking, sitting and standing, at times for longer than 30 minutes; the ability to hold herself high in a yoga pose known as a "bridge"; the ability to walk with the aid of only one person; an improved use of her tongue; and the ability to draw, write and sign her name.
"Those things are just phenomenal if you really look at the person I started with in January 2009 that was supposed to be a vegetable," said Bill Gott. "All these little gains to lot of people would mean nothing, but to me they’re moving toward bigger gains. We really expect to have a better outcome at end of the second 40 [HBOT treatments] at end of September.
"To me it means so much because they're movements toward being a better person. They're gains that are making her a more productive individual."
These improvements are precisely the reason why Bill Gott said he'll do whatever he can to continue funding Myla's treatments, which he said have a "direct correlation" to her recovery.
Money has been tight for the family and fundraising dollars have been scarce over the past year despite recent events at local restaurants, but Bill said he was able to find the money to fund the two-part, 80-treatment program in which Myla is currently participating in Randolph, Mass.
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Bill has his eyes set on at least one more 40-treatment round, though, which is why he's again looking to the community for assistance. HBOT is $16,000 for 80 sessions, although if paid in full up front the therapy — which isn't covered by Medicaid or Medicare — only costs $12,000.
HBOT is most effective when taken in successive 40-treatment rounds, with three weeks of rest between each round, according to Bill. He said the year off between Myla's first and second rounds of HBOT likely lessen the gains in her recovery, which is why he said he's hoping to have enough money raised before she's due for another round in late October.
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"I'm not looking to gain financial awards," said Bill Gott. "I’m looking to get Myla a life. She’ll bever have a family. She’ll never get the things she wanted in life, but she can be a productive person. She can be a taxpayer, not a tax-receiver."
Myla continues to be an inspirational presence in the lives of those around her, including Victoria Arlen, an Exeter native who won gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England, and is nominated for an ESPY this year.
The two met during one of Myla's trips to rehab, and Bill Gott said Arlen plans to lend her support during a yet-to-be-finalized fundraiser at the Victoria Inn in Hampton later this summer. The date and details of that fundraiser haven't yet been determined, although Bill said a lot of individuals have expressed a desire to help make it an event to remember.
More information about Gott and updates about her recovery can be found on this special Facebook page.
Donations to Myla's recovery can be made here, by putting money in a donation jar at the 401 Tavern in Hampton, or by giving money to the Gott Recovery Fund at The Provident Bank (321 Lafayette Road, Hampton, NH 03842; Tel No. 603-758-6323). All donations will go toward providing additional therapies for Myla during her recovery from her traumatic brain injury.
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