South Colchester Academy student on the road to recovery with willingness to encourage others

Arriving at South Colchester Academy (SCA) April 20, I checked in with secretary Karen Mcphee. School principal Scott Armstrong had arranged for me to interview Grade 12 student Abigail “Abby” Falkenham.

Armstrong speaks highly of Abby as a student and as a person, and is noticeably grateful that she is on the road to recovery following a horrific motorcycle-automobile accident which took place nearly 11 months ago.

Abby was the driver of a motorcycle involved in a head-on collision on Highway 289 between Brookfield and Upper Stewiacke. Receiving multiple serious injuries, she was in hospital for four weeks. Her recovery story is remarkable, nay, borderline miraculous.

As Abby and I engaged in a conversation, I learned of some good news on the horizon.

“I have been accepted at Acadia University,” the 18-year-old Upper Stewiacke resident said. “I will be studying engineering.”

Sharing personal outlooks, Abby said she would like to see more future focus on sustainable and renewable energy in the Maritimes.

“I would like to see the Maritimes known for more than a place where people retire. I would like to see the emphasis on the advantage of our natural resources such as the Bay of Fundy and the Acadian forestry. I would like to see more of a job focus and mention of opportunities.”

Up until 2011, Abby and her family had lived in Ellershouse, Hants County.

“I took Primary through Grade two at the Brooklyn Elementary

School,” she said. “I was eight years of age when we moved to Upper Stewiacke.”

Abby spoke admirably of her family, her father Marcel, her mother, Erin, and three sisters Sarah (Verboom) 18, Lael, 15 and, Vivie, 10.

“Family was the reason we moved to Upper Stewiacke. My uncle and aunt (Ian and Alana Tapper) had moved back to Nova Scotia from Ontario. My aunt and my mother are sisters, our families now live beside each other. My grandparents live in Truro and Tatamagouche, a lot of our extended family are within reach.”

Abby said she took grades three through six at the Upper Stewiacke Elementary School, she arrived at SCA in 2015 for grades seven through 12.

“I am so excited for the new chapter in my life, that will come after high school. The closer I get to going to college, the more exciting it is,” she said.

“It’s clear though, I’m really going to miss high school and my friends. It’s kind of scary, but I’m so excited, I can’t wait to kick-start my future.”

Abby has been an SCA student body representative since Grade 7 and is currently co- student council president with Emily Rushton.

For a decade she has been a member of the local 4-H Club and is also part of the junior division of the Upper Stewiacke Volunteer Fire Department, serving as secretary for three years.

“I’ve always tried to be super involved. I’m presently part of the school’s envirothon and robotics teams. I am a member of the senior girl’s slo-pitch team. I used to play in the outfield, but now given my circumstances, I’m more limited to the positions I can play.”

Abby explained that she has pins, screws and plates all

through her body. In the June 19, 2020 accident, she suffered a brain injury, a broken pelvis, a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken right arm, a shattered ball of her femur and broken toes.

“I don’t mind talking about the accident,” she told me. “The side effects have been a lot, the mental part has been difficult. I still have so much recovery ahead, I have so much healing to do. The brain injury may take two years to improve, some of it is neurological and a lot of it is physical.”

People across Canada knew of Abby’s story, which aired on the national news.

“I can’t believe the people who reached out to me, I’ve received support from all over. The school community has been so supportive, they have been so willing to accommodate my needs,” she said. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of my accident, I am reminded more than ever of all the generosity, love and support I have received and continue to receive. I don’t think I can thank everyone enough for all they’ve done for myself and my family. But, I do want to say ‘thank you’ for helping me get this far.”

Abby is determined to stay positive.

“In the hospital they told me that a good mindset is a big part of the recovery and healing. ‘It’s huge’, they said. I don’t feel I would have been able to recover as quickly and as well as I have without positive thinking.

“I want to turn the experience I had into something positive for me and for others.”

At the conclusion of the interview and two follow-up telephone calls, each time, Abby invited me to have a nice day.

A gracious and considerate person, Abby has so many outstanding qualities. And, besides her optimism for the future, she has an earnest willingness to encourage others. Worth Repeating is a weekly column touching on stories from the past, life experiences and events of the present day. If you have a column idea, contact Lyle at 902 673-2857.