Woman injured in 1979 Port Clinton car crash inspires thousands

BY SHERI TUSTY

A 1979 car accident left a former Port Clinton social worker with lifelong problems that changed her life but did not destroy her. Kathy Hughes suffered severe brain damage at age 30 when she was thrown from a car as a passenger on Perry St. in Port Clinton. Her head struck the road, causing a skull fracture and leaving her with permanent disabilities, including aphasia, a neurological disorder that affects communication, including the ability to speak and read.

Doctors believed she would never speak again. Hughes decided to fight her way back.

“In 1979, nobody knew anything about brain injuries,” she said. “I told myself I could sit there and do nothing and vegetate, or I could fight. I'm a fighter and I've gotten better and better.”

Hughes spent years in speech therapy. Today she can no longer read, and her aphasia still affects her speech somewhat, but her life is full. In recent decades, she has used her experience to educate, support and inspire others with brain injuries. In the 1980s, she founded a brain injury support group in Port Clinton and for many years gave talks on life after a brain accident. On August 24, she spoke as a guest of Brain Exchange via Zoom to about 600 people.

Ironically, Hughes's strongest source of inspiration is her book, “God Isn't Finished with Me Yet!”, in which she describes her accident and recovery. The book was written with co-author Rita Milios.

“After years of speaking, I can no longer read, but I can write a book,” she said.

The book was originally written in 1990 and is now in its fifth edition. Locals will recognize references to Port Clinton. The book is available for $10 by emailing Hughes at [email protected].

Hughes doesn't speak in public as often these days because she's focused on her other passion: being a foster mom. When she was a social worker before her accident, she worked with abused and neglected children, as well as with foster and adoptive families. She had often thought about becoming a foster mom and eventually decided to take foster parenting classes to see if she was cut out for it.

“I thought, 'Should I? Should I not?' But then, in the third session, they said they needed urgent care,” she said. “I've been doing this for almost 10 years now.”

Hughes, who moved to St. Louis with her son many years ago to be close to family, provides temporary homes for foster children until they can return home or transition into permanent foster care.

“The children come to my home. I offer them food, shelter and loving arms and take care of them for a few days,” she said.

Hughes vacations in Port Clinton every year to visit old friends, and her affection for the area is not tarnished by memories of her accident.

“I love Port Clinton. I love Catawba,” she said.

During her trip in August, she sat in a beach hotel and offered inspirational words to people battling brain injuries.

“First, you have to fight and hopefully the Lord is on your side. Being a Christian saved my life,” she said. “Second, find a support group. People with brain injuries need that connection and their caregivers need that connection.”

Hughes has a fulfilling life with her work as a brain-injured survivor, her family and friends, and her foster family. The woman who could have given up is now an inspiring voice for thousands.

“Life is good. It's challenging, but it's good,” she said.