Topeka, Kan. (KSNT) — The sun is always brighter on the other side. That’s the message a Topeka woman wants everyone to remember as she gets back to normal after being in a coma for weeks.

Aylin Aguilar’s family and friends describe her as a funny, caring and happy person, which made her situation so much harder for those who love her.

On Feb. 12, Aguilar was on her way to school at Allen County Community College. The roads were covered in snow and ice. She was going to pull over to tell a friend she was turning around to go home but she never had the chance.

“I was going to turn back because the roads were really slippery,” Aguilar said. “And then that’s it. I don’t remember anything.”

For the next few weeks, Aguilar was in a coma at Stormont Vail Hospital. Doctors didn’t know what her outcome would be. She was transferred to the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Nebraska, where she was still unconscious for three weeks.

Shortly after waking up from the coma, her 21st birthday came around on March 16. The very next day, she started speaking again. Now she’s getting back to her old self as she’s on her way to recovery, slowly learning to walk and talk again like she did before the crash.

  • Aylin Aguilar and her mother Ada Miramontes
  • Aylin Aguilar at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Aylin Aguilar at Stormont Vail Hospital

But things are different as she recovers. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, she can’t have many visitors see her journey in person, mostly through their phones and on her Facebook page.

“Yeah it sucks that I can’t see my mom,” Aguilar said. “So she comes to my window and she brings me stuff. I can also video chat with people.”

For some, recovery without family directly by your side could be hard. But for Aguilar, it’s the future of her recovery that keeps her so positive.

“Every time I got sad, I just thought about all the things I was going to be able to do again when I leave,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar wants people to look at her journey and know there is always a silver lining to any situation you are in, no matter how hard it gets.

“The sun is always brighter on the other side,” Aguilar said. “So just keep your head up and don’t forget that there are good things in life.”

Aguilar said she is expected to leave Madonna in June. The first thing she wants to do when she gets home is to eat pho and celebrate her birthday the right way.

If you have someone you think we should know, use our Report It feature or our mobile app.