Family hopes daughter’s journey to recovery after hit-and-run will inspire others

By Jackie Valley

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Eight-year-old Brazyl Ward has come a long way since a motorist struck her almost two years ago while she was trick-or-treating on Halloween.

The soon-to-be third-grader spent the summer splashing in a pool with her siblings, but on Friday, she briefly returned to University Medical Center, where she spent three months receiving medical care following the accident.

This time her hospital visit was for a happier reason: Her mother, Tiffany Ward, has released a 160-page book, "From Tragedy to Testimony: A Family's Fight to Cope," detailing the family's journey as Brazyl recovered.

"It was touch and go from day one," Ward said. Her daughter was in a medically induced coma for two months because of her injuries, including bleeding on the brain and a broken right femur.

The gray sedan that struck Brazyl in their Spring Valley neighborhood has never been located, Ward said, but the family doesn't dwell on that aspect.

And they certainly have much to be thankful for: Brazyl, who wears a right leg brace, is gradually getting better at walking, and she's a cheerful, loving child who enjoys playing with her older brother and younger sister.

"She tells us she loves us all the time," Ward said. "I feel like she had that choice of whether she wanted to be here or not — and she wanted to be here."

During Brazyl's lengthy hospital stay, Ward journaled the experience and last year began writing the book, which she hopes will inspire other families to not give up when dealing with a tragedy. The family is donating $1 for every book sold over the next year to Children's Hospital of Nevada at University Medical Center.

The book can be ordered online at tragedytotestimony.com.