HOUSTON — A family that held a vigil Friday at HCA Northwest Hospital is one deeply rooted in faith.
"That’s what keeps us going,” Jennifer Hicks said.
Texas Southern University senior Teiyah Hicks has been on the brink through 13 surgeries so far.
"As a mom, you want to pick up your child and grab them and kiss the boo boo," Jennifer Hicks said. "And my daughter’s broken from head to toe.”
Jennifer and Marcus Hicks don’t want you to see their 21-year-old daughter in her current condition inside the ICU but they shared photos of the aspiring teacher who also serves as a TSU Ambassador among other activities.
"Every day it’s a baby step on what’s going to happen," Jennifer Hicks said. "And being able to make sure that we can stay strong because she’s fighting for her life in there.”
Teiyah was severely injured nearly two weeks ago in a chain reaction crash along the North Freeway at Mount Houston Road.
In fact, her dad came upon the scene before knowing that Teiyah was involved.
She was initially pronounced deceased but Marcus Hicks said she had a pulse by the time he got to the ER.
"She’s strong, she’s been fighting," Marcus Hicks said. "She’s been fighting since that day and she’s still going.”
Loved ones have #TeiyahStrong and #KeepFightingTeiyah hashtags on their social pages and started a GoFundMe account to help with medical expenses. They're confident Teiyah’s fight will eventually be victorious.
"Our baby is going to walk out of there,” Jennifer Hicks said.
The family said they were told the crash remains under investigation.
Sadly, Teiyah had gotten out of her car after an initial impact before a secondary impact led to a chain reaction. She was struck by her own car after it was hit.