CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Codey Wells’ life was forever changed after a fall at a Old Dominion University (ODU) fraternity house that left him with a traumatic brain injury.
Tabetha Taylor, Wells’ mother, was woken up by a phone call informing her Codey had fallen down the stairs during an ODU fraternity party. She was told witnesses to the fall initially didn’t realize how serious his injuries were.
“They tried to sit him up and he just kept falling down,” Taylor said. “So, they decided, ‘Let’s take him upstairs and let him sleep it off.’”
Taylor learned students carried her injured son around the house. She said Codey began bleeding from his ears and nose before being rushed to the emergency room.
“I can’t even describe how bad it looked,” Taylor said. “His whole left side of his head was completely caved in.”
The incident happened while Codey was in his second year at ODU. He is a self-taught musician and skilled athlete, but for the past few months, he has been in and out of brain surgeries and barely able to move his fingers.
“How do you go from sending your kid to college, and something as simple as a fall down steps leaves him where he cannot do anything for himself?” Taylor said.
The Thomas Dale High School graduate is currently receiving care at Sheltering Arms in Goochland County.
“He may be the way he is right now forever, or he may make such a recovery that we can’t see a difference,” Taylor said.
Taylor told 8News that her son was always a high achiever — intelligent, hilarious and beloved.
“The ironic thing about it is, Codey was in school, pre-med because he wanted to be a neurosurgeon,” Taylor said.
In a statement, ODU said it does not own or manage Greek life housing, but the school offers well wishes to Codey during his recovery.
Taylor prays “her Codey” returns, so he can become the neurosurgeon he dreamed to be — helping others fight battles like the one he’s fighting now.
Meanwhile, his community here in central Virginia is keeping him in their hearts as his mother remains by his side. Through months of surgeries, therapy and prayers, the former musician and athlete continues his long road to recovery.
“We have no way of knowing what Codey’s new normal is going to be,” Taylor said.
Taylor has made it a mission to remind college students of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
She still wonders how long Codey was left hurt before receiving proper care.
Taylor said she is thankful for all the support the community has shown her family these past few months.
Codey’s loved ones have created a Facebook page to help share his story and to allow the community to receive updates on his recovery. Community members can join the group to support Codey’s family during this journey.
