Karaoke helps woman recover from brain damage

EUGENE, Ore. -- Cailin Thompson dreamed of being a psychiatrist. The 23-year-old studied hard and worked hard.

Three years ago, a motorcycle crash derailed her dreams, but a new kind of therapy is helping Cailin get her groove back.

Thompson spent two months in a coma in 2009. Doctors told her parents she would never wake up. The motorcycle crash had damaged her brain beyond repair.

"So they clearly didn't know me, because I like working hard," said Thompson.

Thompson proved them wrong. Three years later, she's singing and and dancing her way into a life of independence.

"She's a very talented and intelligent young woman," said Thompson's physical therapist, Tyler Smith.

Today, Thompson is one of the lead singers in Good Samaritan Society's karaoke Thursday. Listening to "The Temptations" sing "My Girl", one staff member called the crew "The Rehabilitation's".
    
Physical therapy assistant Dennis English brought the machine in last year for a party.

"We noticed that the residents were up moving, moving quite actively in fact," said English.

The music stayed and quickly became a part of the rehabilitation routine.

"It's improved their balance," said English. "It's improved their ability of being able to concentrate and focus."

For Thompson, it helps with brain function.She said it helps her focus.

"It will be so great when I am able to bear weight to stand up and sing," said Thompson. "Yah, that will be so cool."

It shouldn't be long. The music is already getting her leg moving. It's movement and progress that prove this determined 20-something will continue to defy the odds and ultimately move into an apartment of her own in a brain injury center.