Victoria Cardenas is welcoming this season with newfound gratitude after surviving a harrowing experience on US 60 that left her in a coma, FOX 10 Phoenix reports. The 26-year-old owner of a ceramics shop in Apache Junction has been the focal point of a caring community, which rallied to maintain her business while she was hospitalized.
Cardenas sustained severe injuries that took her out of her beloved shop, Tor's Mudslinger, for an extensive period however, the community’s efforts have been described as a stream of continuous support for Cardenas, according to friends and family members. "It’s a miracle. If anybody has seen the wreckage or seen the scene, there wasn’t much left. The only thing that was left was my daughter," Amber Cardenas, Victoria’s mother, told FOX 10 Phoenix.
Approximately two weeks after the October 28 accident, which involved a jack-knifed truck on US 60 that caused multiple skull fractures and broken bones for Cardenas, she woke up against the odds, the accident itself has stripped her from the conscious world into an induced coma to support her healing process, as doctors were unsure of her survival initially. Now, following a 48-day hospital stay, she has returned home just in time for the holidays, expressing her joy and surprise at the outpouring of support. "It feels amazing to be able to be back in my shop and to have strength to back here," Victoria Cardenas told Arizona's Family.
Venturing into the seasonal cheer, a holiday event titled Christmas at Goldfield will feature her business, Tor's Mudslinger, highlighting a community that extends beyond just economic support, but threads together the very fabric of human kindness in times of adversity. Doctors are optimistic about Cardenas' full recovery, despite the tough road of physical and speech therapy ahead. "She was not supposed to come home for Christmas, and Thanksgiving felt really dark without her so to have her home for Christmas is everything I wanted," Amber Cardenas explained to Arizona's Family.
Funds continue to be raised not only for Cardenas' medical expenses but also to support the Superstition Food Bank. This outpour of emotional and financial support is a testament to the collective spirit of a community in ensuring that one of their own is lifted during a time of great need.
