Cashlynn: Devine’s comeback cowgirl defies all odds

We wanted to give everyone an update on Devine’s beloved Comeback Kid, Cashlynn Gierisch, who is back in the saddle again, as doctors and family revel at the amazing recovery she’s made since she was kicked in the head in a horse riding accident this past June.
“When the accident happened, it tore our world apart, and I’m so happy to say we have our Cashlynn back and things are back to normal,” said mom Caroline Gierisch. “For the first four days after the accident, doctors weren’t even sure if she would survive….And then they told us it would take her a year or two years before she could even walk or talk again—if she ever would. But here she is…she’s doing fantastic and just blowing everyone away.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how it’s only been 6 months since the accident and she is already thriving. They said it would be a year or two until she could walk and talk, but Cashlynn is doing cartwheels! She can run and jump, and loves to paint and draw, and play with her Barbie dolls.”
The family was happy to report that Cashlynn is back to doing what makes her happiest, riding her horse. Horse riding is therapeutic for patients suffering from so many different ailments, and it certainly is for this little cowgirl, who never stopped loving it, mom says.
“It’s like she never stopped loving to ride. When she got back on a horse again recently, she just loved it. She cried. She didn’t want to get off,” Gierisch said. “She rides her own horse now, and Grandpa bought her a special riding helmet. There will be no more riding without a helmet, but she doesn’t care, she just loves riding and she loves her Black Beauty.”
She has been back at school in Devine, where she attends the 2nd grade half a day, and then goes to work with physical and occupational therapy where she continues to make strides every day.
“This experience has changed her so much, and really brought her out of her shell. She’s no longer shy. She’s open, friendly and willing to try new things. She just joined the Girl Scouts! We did a brain scan on November 21 which came back 100% normal. She is getting a hearing aid, and does have some trouble with short term memory, but she has defied all of the odds. She is flourishing in every aspect,” Gierisch adds.
“Everywhere we go, someone in the community is smiling at her, telling her ‘We are proud of you Cashlynn…We’ve been praying for you.’ The amount of people who reached out to support us, truly gave us hope, and gave us faith that miracles can happen.”
The perfect example happened at the Fall Festival this year, where Cashlynn tried desperately to win a turtle in the carnival games.
“We tried and tried, and a group of high school boys had seen how badly she wanted a turtle, and so they took it upon themselves to win a turtle for her and presented it to her later that day. We don’t even know who those kids are, but they saw Cashlynn and they sure made a little girl happy that day. What a great community we live in!”