Jala's Journey: The Long Road Back

On July 31, 2023, Jessica Jenkins of Pontotoc received the late-night call that every parent dreads.

“Someone called and said, ‘Your daughter has been in a four-wheeler wreck,’ Jessica recalls. “I asked, ‘Is she okay?’ and there was no reply. ‘Is she alive?’ I asked. Then I heard the helicopter, so I knew whatever it was, it was not good.”

Her 20-year-old daughter, Jala Ross, had been riding with friends in Vardaman when she crashed and was thrown from the ATV.  Jessica rushed to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, where Jala was airlifted for emergency care.

Critical Care

Jala spent six weeks at NMMC in a coma while the team cared for her complex injuries. “Jala suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple strokes,” her mother says. “On the outside, she only had scrapes on her legs—she just looked like she was asleep. She had broken ribs and spinal fractures, but her head took the brunt of it.”

The team’s work during those critical weeks helped prepare her for the next stage of recovery. While she was still in a coma, she transferred to Shepherd Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation. “I woke from a coma and had so many things that I did not yet understand or know how to face,” Jala says. 

Her parents had been told that if she survived the accident, she would likely be bedridden. Instead, she began the demanding work of rebuilding her life. In the months that followed, “I was never allowed to say, ‘I can’t,’” Jala says. “It all paid off. I came home.”

Starting Over

Jala had to relearn nearly everything she once did without thinking—how to walk, talk, eat, get dressed, everything. “It was like she was a baby again,” Jessica says.

Before the accident, Jala worked as a cosmetologist at a salon in Oxford. Her experience changed the direction she wanted her life to take. Now, she’s back in college studying to become an assistant teacher. 

Sharing Her Story

“I still struggle with my memory and getting the right side of my body to cooperate with me, but I have a joy that is unspeakable and fills my cup to overflowing,” Jala says. “It might be hard, but God’s got me.”

Jala’s journey hasn’t been easy, but she’s using her story to encourage others. On Oct. 23, she will speak at NMMC’s Trauma Conference to physicians, nurses, emergency responders and other professionals who care for patients during their most critical moments.

For others facing a difficult recovery, Jala offers this encouragement: “God is not finished. He’s got so much bigger and better for your life than you can ever imagine.”