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On Labor Day weekend 2024, Fillmore Central graduate Grace Kennedy had closed up her hair salon and headed out with her family for a ride along the Mississippi. Her family was riding motorcycles; Grace was following them in a slingshot. At an intersection, Grace’s life took a sudden turn. A man was southbound and about to make a left turn. A drunk person slammed into that man who in turn was pushed into Grace. All three vehicles were totaled.
Grace was airlifted to La Crosse Critical Care Unit with brain injuries, brain bleeding, fractures of her skull and a severely damaged left arm. Grace remembers the events of the day right up to her accident; following the accident she remembered very little for a long time.
The hardest part of her recovery was the mental component. She knew that she knew things, but couldn’t get the information out. Grace remembers being very tired, but not being able to identify what was bothering her. Adjusting her pain medications was difficult; some of the drugs had hallucinogenic effects that made her feel disconnected and out of control. Sometimes medication doses were missed.
Grace is left-handed; when her left arm, hand and fingers were broken it seemed to be even worse for Grace. Today Grace says it was good that it was her left hand. Her brain was used to communicating instructions to that hand; this helped her heal more quickly and regain its use.
Grace needed several surgeries to set her left arm; September 17 she was able to have her cast replaced with a wrist and hand brace. The brace was to hold her fingers straight so her hand wouldn’t end up in a permanent fist. A second surgery was completed on September 20; 39 staples were removed from her upper arm. She continued to receive both PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy).
On September 25, Grace’s mom, Angie Kennedy, was able to have Grace moved to Mayo in Rochester. Grace appreciated the therapy in Rochester; the team’s focus was on what Grace wanted to accomplish. While therapy in La Crosse had been focused on her legs, Mayo focused on working with her arm, wrist and hands, and her traumatic brain injury.
Some of Grace’s therapy included work with a mirror box. The box had a mirror centered vertically which divided the box in half. Grace placed her uninjured hand in front of the mirror. Her injured left hand was hidden from view. When Grace looked in the mirror, she saw the reflection of her healthy hand moving normally. That visual feedback helped trick her brain into perceiving her left hand as functioning correctly. This potentially reduced pain and improved movement in the injured hand.
Grace struggled with depression during this time; according to Grace, the therapy sessions in Rochester helped her learn so much about herself and helped her through the depression.
Grace was able to leave the hospital after 40 days, on October 9; she continued to travel to Rochester for therapies and appointments. On January 17, 2025, Grace was able to “graduate” from OT. Her January neuropsychological testing overall results came back as average; her traumatic brain injury was healing well. On February 27, she no longer needed to wear the brace on her left hand.
Grace no longer needs any therapy. She saw the top hand surgeon in the world for her hand. He declared that she had had a better natural outcome than if he’d done surgery on her hand. X-rays of her hand were done to assure that her bones were continuing to heal correctly with the hardware properly situated in her elbow.
When asked what kept her going, Grace replied that going to all the therapy groups helped her mindset. “I couldn’t imagine life without all the support I’ve had!” she declared.
“Wasting time is one of my biggest regrets. I wanted to get back to normal,” Grace added. This fueled her to always work hard to recover.
Angie felt, “Grace was unwilling to let something like the accident determine her trajectory.”
Before the accident, Grace had her own salon, Style & Smile, in St. Charles, which she had opened as a 19-year-old. Grace likes things organized; she has a great work ethic from working on the family farm as a child. In the 60 days before her accident she had built up her clientele.
When the accident happened, her salon was just shut down. Ever positive, Grace said the timing was a blessing since she hadn’t yet paid her next month’s rent.
As Grace thought about reopening her salon, she was concerned whether she’d remember her classes. She refreshed her memory with YouTube videos.
Grace reopened Style & Smile in the Lavender & Sage Salons September 2, 2025. She shared that the one-year anniversary of the accident was difficult, but she went to work that day.
Grace has been able to schedule her appointments with rest periods between them. Her arm and hand still may ache after a long day. At this point, Grace is only doing haircuts, but plans on returning to coloring soon.
Angie had this advice for anyone going through a similar situation with an adult child, “Accept help when it is offered and be diligent in advocating for your loved one.”
When considering all she’s been through in the past year, Grace commented, “I wouldn’t take it back at all! I’ve learned so much this past year and I wouldn’t change it at all. I’ve grown so much more this past year mentally than I did my whole life!”
Grace shared a favorite quote, “Your life is like a book you can’t reread. You just continue forward.”
Grace truly is an amazing young woman, determined to live her life to the fullest and move on from the accident. She is indeed “Amazing Grace!”
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