Davis Coker: A Journey of Hope and Recovery after a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Before his accident, Davis Coker was a lively, athletic teenager with a passion for baseball. As a triplet, he shared a special bond with his two siblings, as well as his older brother, and spent much of his childhood on the field.

At just 16, his future seemed full of promise, but everything changed when a tragic car accident altered his life forever—yet it didn’t diminish his strength or determination. Davis refused to let his injuries define him, proving that resilience can overcome even the greatest challenges.

The Accident that Changed Everything

It was just after 5 p.m. on January 20, 2021, when Davis’s mother, Sissi, was preparing to leave for church. A phone call from an unknown number stopped her in her tracks. The call was flagged by Life 360, an app she used to monitor her children’s locations and it detected a car wreck. Moments later, her husband, Gregg, called with devastating news: Davis had been in a severe accident.

Davis sat in the backseat of the car with his best friend beside him, while two other friends occupied the front seats. Suddenly, a vehicle coming from the opposite direction crashed into the side where he was sitting. While his friends sustained minor injuries, Davis was critically hurt. Emergency responders arrived quickly and as he was rushed to a hospital in Texarkana. Sissi prayed for her son to survive. Along the way, doctors had to revive him twice—his condition was dire.

At the hospital, surgeons performed an emergency craniectomy—a procedure that involves removing part of the skull—to relieve pressure and swelling on the left side of Davis’s brain. The swelling was partly caused by hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess fluid accumulates in the brain. His traumatic brain injury was diffuse, affecting multiple areas of his brain.

Once stabilized, Davis was airlifted to a children’s hospital in Dallas for advanced care.

Fighting for His Life

Davis arrived at the Dallas hospital in critical condition. He was placed on a ventilator. Doctors later inserted a tracheostomy tube to assist with breathing and a G-tube to aid in his nutrition. He also underwent neck surgery to address injuries from the crash and had his skull reconstructed following his previous craniectomy.

The prognosis was grim: Davis was not expected to regain consciousness or recognize his family. “We were at the hospital in Dallas for 96 days,” Sissi recalled. “We kept praying and believing that God could heal him even when the doctors gave us no hope.”

Though Davis could open his eyes, he was unresponsive and unable to communicate. Despite the bleak outlook, Sissi and Gregg held onto their faith. They believed in miracles and were determined to provide Davis with every opportunity for recovery. “Our friends and family prayed endlessly and we believe that’s what led to his healing,” added Sissi.

A New Chapter at TIRR Memorial Hermann

In April 2021, Davis was transported to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston to enroll in the Disorders of Consciousness Program. The Coker family chose this rehabilitation center because of its reputation for exceptional care and their positive experience with Davis’s grandfather who had been treated there.

At the time, the Disorders of Consciousness Program was led by Katherine O'Brien, PhD, the brain injury program leader and clinical neuropsychologist. The program treats patients who appear unconscious or have just recovered consciousness. This includes patients who are not yet communicating or following commands and patients who have just begun to communicate or follow commands, but do so inconsistently.

Davis’s care team focused on stimulating his brain and helping him regain basic functions. “They gave him a pen and he started clicking it,” Sissi shared. “When they handed him a baseball glove, he adjusted his hand to fit it properly. He used his thumbs to signal ‘yes’ and made a sign for ‘no.’ Though he wasn’t communicating verbally, he found ways to express himself through his hands. Seeing these signs of progress gave us so much hope.”

Music and speech therapy also played a role in his recovery. One day, Sissi played a song on her phone, and Davis began mouthing the lyrics—a breakthrough moment that brought tears to her eyes and marked a significant step forward in his recovery.

A month into the program, his tracheostomy was removed, another sign of his progress.

After David completed the program at TIRR Memorial Hermann, his family didn’t immediately return home to Texarkana. Instead, they temporarily moved in with family in Bryan and made the drive to TIRR Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands three days a week for outpatient therapy. For three months, Davis worked on physical, occupational and speech therapies, making small but meaningful strides in his recovery.

Addressing Spasticity: A New Challenge in Davis’s Recovery

However, in July 2021, Davis began experiencing significant stiffness in his legs, making movement increasingly difficult. “His legs were so stiff we could barely get them to move,” Sissi recalled.

Concerned about their son’s condition, the family was referred to Cindy Ivanhoe, MD, director of the spasticity program at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Outpatient Medical Clinic. After an evaluation and consultation with Davis’s physical therapist in The Woodlands, they both determined that Davis was a candidate for the baclofen pump to alleviate spasticity in his legs. Dr. Ivanhoe also recommended the placement of a shunt to manage hydrocephalus (excess fluid accumulation in the brain).

A baclofen pump is a surgically implanted device, roughly the size of a hockey puck, that delivers a constant stream of medication directly to the spinal canal. This helps relax the muscles and provides relief from spasticity, which is the involuntary tightening of muscles, as well as dystonia, which causes abnormal muscle contractions and postures.

In September 2021, Mark Dannenbaum, MD, an affiliated neurosurgeon, performed Davis's shunt procedure. Two months later, Davis underwent the implantation of the baclofen pump performed by Brian Bruel, MD, an affiliated pain medicine specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R).

These interventions marked an important step in improving Davis’s quality of life, allowing him to regain better control over his movement and continue his recovery journey.

Davis’s Experience in the Neurobehavioral Program

As Davis continued to improve and evolve in his brain injury recovery, he was admitted to the TIRR Memorial Hermann Neurobehavioral Program, one of the few specialized programs in the nation, equipped to address the unique cognitive and behavioral challenges that can arise after a traumatic brain injury. For Davis, this stay was particularly crucial.

After his brain injury, he struggled with social interactions, often displaying awkward or inappropriate behaviors and had difficulty inhibiting certain behaviors. Davis would take the hand of whoever he was working with and kiss their hand, even if they were perfect strangers to him or put his hands in someone else’s pocket.

“When I first met Davis, it was clear that he had difficulty adjusting his social behavior to different environments,” said Lindsey Harik, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and Neurobehavioral Program manager. “He struggled to recognize social cues and determine appropriate behaviors, making it challenging to form meaningful connections. While he was adept at using nonverbal cues to express affection, we focused on enhancing his verbal communication to help him navigate social interactions more effectively.”

Through the Neurobehavioral Program, Davis found the structure he needed to navigate these challenges. Led by Harik and Christopher Falco, MD, an affiliated specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, an interdisciplinary team of providers works to provide a safe, calm and controlled environment where patients can address behavioral difficulties while undergoing intensive rehabilitation.

“We sat down with Davis’s mom on Day One to gather important background information,” Dr. Harik continued. “She helped us understand the social behaviors that were concerning and provided insight into when these behaviors were more or less likely to occur. She also shared what they had tried and what seemed to reinforce these behaviors. We discussed Davis’s goals, as well as the family’s goals, and used this information, along with our own evaluation of Davis, to develop a behavior management plan.”

Patients in the Neurobehavioral Program receive at least three hours of daily therapy to improve physical strength, balance, communication and behavior. The program emphasizes de-escalation techniques to manage confusion and impulsivity while reducing reliance on sedating medications. For Davis, this structured approach was life-changing, helping him regulate emotions, build confidence in social interactions and develop skills his family could reinforce at home.

“The changes we saw in Davis were incredible,” Sissi shared. “They didn’t just help him with his behaviors—they gave him the tools to connect with others and feel more confident in himself.”

A Testimony of Faith and Hope

Today, 20-year-old Davis is still working hard on his recovery, and while the journey hasn’t been easy, he’s come a long way since his accident. He communicates through gestures and expressions and his social interactions have improved so much. His family celebrates every little milestone along the way.

“I’m the most blessed person in the world,” said Sissi. “If it weren’t for the Lord, we couldn’t have handled this. God is unchanging, and He still performs miracles. Davis is living proof of that.”

Davis sees Dr. Ivanhoe at TIRR Memorial Hermann every six months and goes to speech and physical therapy twice a week in Texarkana. He’s verbal, though his speech is slow and mobility remains his biggest challenge. He’s still in a wheelchair and has a G-tube, shunt and baclofen pump. But he’s getting stronger—he can now lift his leg a couple of inches off the ground, which is a big deal. He also has some voluntary movement in his left arm. Every bit of progress gives him and his family hope for what’s ahead.

The Coker family is grateful to TIRR Memorial Hermann for the specialized care that helped Davis reach these milestones. “We are thankful to all his doctors, nurses and the physical, occupational and speech therapy teams. They were all amazing, supportive and instrumental in Davis’s recovery,” Sissi said.

Learn more about the Neurobehavioral Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann »

Learn more about the Disorders of Consciousness Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann »