BY JENNIFER BROCK

Dr. Susan Houghton assistant professor of management, has known her husband, Jon, since the second grade, but she almost lost him a year and a half ago in a tragic accident. Their story is a living tribute to the power of love and the strength of the human spirit.

For the Houghtons, 1996 included happiness, heartache and a day that would change their lives forever. Their first and long-awaited child, Julia, was born in March. During May, they lost two close friends in the Valujet crash. And than the events of July 2, 1996, or "THE day," according to Houghton, brought challenges, fears and triumphs unknown to most.

Susan remembers a phone call informing her that Jon had a rollerblading accident near the Carter Presidential Center. Assuming it was a broken ankle, Houghton grabbed four-month-old Julia and drove toward the Carter Center, only to find the street blocked with ambulances and police barricades. She made her way through the traffic to the first ambulance and was told that Jon had been hit by a pickup truck and had been taken to Grady Hospital.

After a long, agonizing night in a Grady waiting room, Houghton learned that Jon had a severe diffuse axonal injury, the worst type of head injury, in which the left half of his scalp, including his ear, had been torn off. The few people who survive this type of injury usually remain in a coma. Houghton was informed that her husband had a 2 percent chance of a "good" recovery.

After two weeks in a coma, Jon moved his right index finger and thus began his long recovery process. During this painful and daunting time, Houghton and her husband learned about patience, courage, strength and the importance of support from family and community. "My folks came down from Cape Cod to help out for a few weeks, and ended up staying 11 months," says Houghton. The Houghtons' friend Julian created an Internet site called "Jon Houghton's Get Well Page." Family and friends visited the site to read daily progress reports, write letters of support and read letters from the Houghtons.

Faculty from Georgia State delivered meals to them over an eight-month period, mowed their lawn and often visited Jon. "Above all," Susan recalls, "I was reassured constantly that my job was not in jeopardy, and this removed a potentially enormous source of anxiety for me." It has been a year and a half since the accident, and Jon Houghton has experienced a miraculous recovery.

Technically a spastic quadriplegic, he continues to improve daily. Jon is beginning to walk with the assistance of a walker and writes daily on his computer about brain injury recovery. The couple is in counseling now trying to return to a "normal" way of living.

"Jon continues to be my greatest inspiration," says Susan. "He endured something I cannot imagine and handled it with the grace of a saint." Despite the tragic events of 1996, valuable lessons were learned throughout the process. "I've learned patience and courage, as well as the depth and importance of community. My strength has come from the loving community that supported me and Julia during all of this." As Houghton explains, "Despite the obvious tragedy, this is a story with a happy ending."

Return to The State of Business index for Spring '98.

Return to The State of Businessmain page.