Maureen Wright wakes up every morning and pulls up a YouTube link. It’s of her daughter, Molei, from two years ago. Molei is on the screen congratulating her mother for beating breast cancer.
For Maureen, that YouTube video is the only way she can hear her daughter’s voice. For the past three months Molei Wright has been in a hospital bed, unable to talk, hooked up to machines helping keep her alive. On January 30, Molei’s life changed forever.
“I realize now you never want to get a call from a chaplain at a hospital,” Maureen said. “They told us that our daughter was in an accident.”
Molei and her boyfriend, Jeremy, were driving over Kenosha Pass in a snowstorm when their car was hit by a truck.
Then something happened. Call it fate, call it coincidence, but something happened that ultimately saved Molei’s life.
Henry Rodriquez and his wife came around the corner and saw the accident.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Rodriquez. “I didn’t know what I was going to see.”
Rodriquez got out of his car and went directly to the driver’s side of the mangled car.
“The left side was scrap metal. It was literally leveled,” said Rodriquez.
Jeremy was in the driver’s seat. He was confused and in pain. Rodriquez asked if anyone else was in the car. That’s when Jeremy called out Molei’s name.
“I ran around the passenger side and Molei was there … tucked under the floor board of the passenger seat. I knew I had to get her out,” explained Rodriquez.
Henry, a complete stranger who was only in Colorado on vacation, pulled Molei out of the car just the right way and performed CPR until he revived her.
After the crash, Henry and his wife Brittany, did research from their home state in Texas to try and find Molei. They couldn’t handle not knowing how she was doing. Their hard work paid off. They learned she was recovering at Colorado Acute Long Term Care Facility in Denver.
The couple recently made the trip back to Colorado to see Molei for the first time since the crash.
Molei was still hooked up to machines. She couldn’t talk, her spine fused. Doctors said she was internally decapitated.
Molei followed Henry and Brittany with her eyes as they walked in. Henry knelt down and grabbed Molei’s hand.
“Hi, Molei,” Henry whispered. “We’re happy to be here. We’re just happy to be able to see you.”
Jeremy, who has fully recovered from his injuries, was on the other side of the bed with tears in his eyes. He couldn’t help but take in what was happening. Molei’s hero was back in their lives. Henry was back to help her fight once more.
“He did CPR on Molei for 45 minutes,” Jeremy explained as tears ran down his cheeks. “A lot of other people might have given up at that point, but he didn’t.”
Today, Molei continues to improve. She’s been transferred to Craig Hospital in Englewood. She still can’t talk but is responding to questions with her eyes and her toes. She is going through intense therapy. The next steps include getting Molei to sit up, hold weight and learn to walk. Doctors aren’t promising anything.
“The sky is the limit,” said Maureen. “I thank God every day for what we have. I have to believe Molei is meant to come out of this to help other people. I love her so much… more than you know.”
Jeremy has been by Molei’s side since the beginning, whispering love and hope into her ear.
“I hope she hears that there is a bright future ahead of her and that she can be all of the things she is … all of the things she wanted to be. I hope she understands that.”
Only time will tell when it comes to Molei’s recovery. One thing is for certain; she has a family by her side willing her through the worst of it and a hero who brought her back to life when all looked lost.
“It’s not about me... it’s about Molei,” said Rodriquez. “We want Molei to get better and we believe she will.”
Molei has a huge support group. A GoFundMe account raised more than $30,000 to help pay for medical treatment.
The family has now set up a Help Hope Live account for additional help as hospital costs continue to increase.
Denver7 will follow Molei’s recovery.
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