Sarah Scantlin, who found her voice after existing in a minimally conscious state for decades, died May 20, just two weeks after her 50th birthday.

She had been speaking for the past 11 years and her brother, Jim Scantlin, says that allowed their family time to build more cherished memories.

Before that, for 20 years, there wasn't a doctor who expected Sarah to ever speak. She had been hit by a drunken driver as she walked through a Hutchinson parking lot in 1984. She existed in silence, minimally responsive, subsisting on a feeding tube, unable to do anything for herself. Her adult life was lived inside the walls of Diversicare of Hutchinson, being moved from her bed to a lounge chair. Her eyes would open, but stare blankly. Sometimes they would track someone in the room, but mostly they were fixed on the TV.

Then a miracle occurred in 2005: Suddenly the woman who had been living with a traumatic brain injury began communicating.

All totaled, Sarah spent more than 30 years as a resident at Diversicare, the former Golden Plains Nursing Home. Once she began to communicate, her story spread around the globe. She was lauded as a “medical miracle.”

Now, Sarah's only sibling, Jim Scantlin, who lives in Nashville, is returning to Hutchinson with his wife, Beth. They plan to celebrate Sarah's life with family and friends during a wake at Carl's Bar from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Jim can recall that night in September when Sarah, just weeks into her freshman year at Hutchinson Community College, was hit by the driver, who fled the scene.

“That was the start of the rest of our life with her,” Jim Scantlin said.

Sarah spent the first eight weeks in a coma, breathing with the help of a ventilator. The surgeons in Wichita told her family that Sarah was physically strong and would survive the injuries to her body, but she had a severe injury to her brain which she wouldn't recover from. She spent nine months in the hospital and then was moved to Hutchinson. She was breathing on her own by then, but relied on a feeding tube for nourishment.

Doctors expected her to live for only five to 10 years and said she would never walk.

Miracle long time coming

“We never thought she would speak,” said Jim Scantlin. “When we took her home, the doctors basically said there would be pneumonia, or a bed sore which they wouldn't be able to treat, that would kill her.”

It was a grave prognosis for family and friends. But hope came in February 2005 when Sarah called her parents, Jim Scantlin Sr. and Betsy Scantlin, with the help of a caregiver.

“She blew them away,” Jim said. Then she called Jim. He felt numb all over by the shock of hearing his sister's voice.

“It was pretty amazing,” he said. “People don't start talking after 20 years.”

What amazed everyone was that Sarah remembered family and friends.

“She had long-term memory. It was uncanny,” Jim said. “She remembered everyone. She knew her teachers and friends. She said ‘Hi' to me when I came into the room.”

Sarah was communicating in a reasonably clear voice, he said. Although 20 years had passed, she was pretty certain she was still 18 or 19. In all those years, it never sank in that she was almost 50 years old.

“You could not convince her otherwise,” Jim said. She infrequently asked questions, but she would surprise visitors out of the blue. Her favorite question was, “Really?”

Jim asked her if she remembered the accident and she told him she didn't want to talk about it.

Doctors were baffled; no one could explain why she had begun speaking. Time magazine even featured her in a 2007 special edition that focused on the brain and the “mysteries of consciousness.”

Her parents felt blessed they were given the time to communicate. Friends remained faithful, remembering her on birthdays and Christmas.

For so long, Jim, who was four years older, never could remember the last conversation he had with his sister before the accident. Instead he was given the gift of more dialogue.

Miracle workers

The Scantlin family believes Sarah's miracle was due to the wonderful care she received from the staff at Diversicare.

Jennifer Trammell had been with Sarah from the day she arrived at the care facility until her death.

According to The Hutchinson News, which reported frequently on Sarah's progress, she began crying out loud about five years after the accident. She was being heard: Staff believed she was trying to communicate. It would take 15 more years before she uttered “OK, OK.” For three weeks staff worked on word formations and talked about giving her parents a phone call to wish them happy Valentine's Day. The first thing she told her parents was she wanted more makeup.

Trammell told The News that in all her years working with residents who have suffered a head injury, Sarah was the first to recover speech and the forming of words.

They began teaching her to add emotion to her speech. She went through intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, which helped her to control her arms and legs. That eventually would progress to feeding herself.

New memories

Sarah's best friend since junior high, Lori McConnell Shockley, said the two had a “golden plan” as they began HCC together. Lori was walking in front of Sarah the night of the accident. She saw the car coming and moved out of the way. The tragic accident left Lori with nightmares, as well as deep feelings of guilt because she would go on with her life while her best friend stagnated.

Over the years, Lori, who lives in Kansas City, remained a faithful friend. Once Sarah began talking and communicating, Lori felt relief. She noticed her nightmares subsided.

“She would brighten the room when I came in,” Lori said. “I wish people would have known her before. We were two peas in a pod. She was the good to my bad: She was always the nice one. “

Just several weeks before her death, Jim Scantlin had a good visit with his sister.

“We hung out a lot and had a nice weekend,” he said.

Sarah died of respiration issues and failing blood pressure.

Though she thought of herself as the young woman, her loved ones aged. Jim Scantlin Sr. died in January, and Betsy Scantlin's health is failing.

For brother Jim Scantlin, the best day since the accident was in 2014 when he took his little sister for a car ride back to Nickerson, her first car ride and visit since 1984.

“I took her to where our house used to be and took her to Nickerson and she saw Mom and Dad. Then I took her to the high school and old skating rink and pizza place. We took a picture with our shades. It was a fun afternoon.

“She absolutely loved it with the windows rolled down and the wind blowing her hair,” Jim Scantlin said. “It was great.”