Class of 2023:
Jorge Escamilla
Meet Jorge Escamilla. Jorge was the 10th recipient of The ‘Kel Strong’ Scholarship awarded in June 2023. He is a young individual who was in college when he sustained a traumatic brain injury after a devastating car accident on December 1, 2022. Jorge was in school because it was finals and he was in the library studying. He later got a text from a friend asking “Can you pick me up from work?” Since Jorge was close to his job, he went to pick him up. At the first intersection that he made, Jorge had a horrible accident. “I thought it was my green light to turn left, but it was to go straight. That was my first and last time not wearing a seat belt,” says Jorge.
The ambulance rushed Jorge to Memorial Hermann Hospital. His family was devastated especially his mom. They found out he fractured the C1 and the C2 bones of his skull and the spinal cord. He hit his head so hard on impact which resulted in breaking his nose as well. “Though it all, I never lost my sense of humor though,” says Jorge.
Jorge’s insurance didn’t cover outpatient rehab services, they only covered the hospital stay portion. There at the hospital, the therapist staff informed his family about the ‘Kel Strong’ Foundation, that they offer scholarships to pay for outpatient rehab services. Upon hearing this, they applied for the ‘Kel Strong’ Scholarship.
Jorge made great progress utilizing the scholarship for physical therapy sessions. Due to the progress he has succeeded and completed. What was special is when Jorge attended the annual ‘Kel Strong’ Foundation Charity Event soon after completing the scholarship. Jorge got out of his wheelchair and with the assistance of his father, he walked to stand to take a picture with Kel. When Kel commented and said “that was amazing, I didn’t know you could walk.” Jorge said, “all thanks to you.” That response is what the ‘Kel Strong’ Foundation is all about, changing lives for the better for those impacted by traumatic brain injuries.
“This scholarship opportunity has taught me alot of patients. A brain injury is not something everyone can recover from. It’s not easy, but if you put your mind to it everything is possible. It all depends on how bad you want it, instead of just waiting for it to happen,” says Jorge.
Thanks to the ‘Kel Strong’ Scholarship. he is able to slowly take his first steps, just with someone being cautious that he doesn’t fall. He has completely stopped using his wheelchair at home, only using it on the move as a transport wheelchair. “I still will continue with my education, get better at walking, and go back to work,” Jorge says. “That’s my goal.” He was going for mechanical engineering at Lone Star College and only needed 5 more classes to transfer to the University of Houston when his accident happened. And he plans on returning to his job as a bar tender at Perry’s steakhouse. “Thanks to this scholarship I will be able to do that,” Jorge said.