8 months later, Jackie Faircloth has first hospital outing

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Eight months after a severe hit-and-run crash, a south Tampa teen has finally been able to enjoy some time away from the hospital.

A team of therapists and relatives took Jackie Faircloth to be pampered at a nail salon Monday.

Her mother, Kathy Todd Faircloth, then posted about the outing in the ‘Pray for Jackie’ Facebook group, saying they planned it after Jackie told them she wanted “to get her nails done and just have a ‘fun’ time away from her daily rehab schedule.”

After narrowing it down to a few colors, mom said Jackie settled on mint green.

Jackie still cannot speak or write, but she communicates by nodding her head ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to different letters to spell out words.

At the end of Monday’s outing, she spelled out, “Thanks for taking me.”

It was a trip well-deserved, as family says Jackie has been hitting the road to recovery pretty hard, and making lots of progress.

“It’s still a roller coaster, but many more ups than down’s,” Kathy said. “In OT she works on hand and shoulder mobility like reaching and holding a marker. In PT she works on sit to stand strength with lots of help, and in speech, she is taking sips of sprite, chocolate milk and ice chips.”

They continue to ask for prayers and well-wishes as Jackie’s work continues, saying every one truly counts.

“At night, we pray with her & tell her how proud we are of her and that she has an army praying for her,” Kathy wrote. “Sometimes she smiles and I know for sure she is still fighting to get better. Thank YOU for your prayers."