After her horrific ordeal, Charla says she is counting on the support of her loved ones. "Before I was really independent, wanted to be alone," she says. "One thing I'm noticing now is I want to be independent, but I don't want to be alone anymore. It's scary. I don't want to be out somewhere and somebody's stalking me and I don't know it. I don't want to get on the wrong bus somewhere or lost in a store. It's just not the same." 

The resolve that has helped Charla with her recovery isn't new to her, she says. "I've always known that I've been strong," she says. "If I couldn't do anything, I just took my time, took a breath and then tried it again."

When the accident first took place, Charla says she thought about giving up. "In the beginning, I was unhappy," she says. "[But] my brothers made it easy. It made me realize how much I needed them."