Healing Together: The Tindle Family’s Story of Survival and Strength

Published on Wednesday, October 16, 2024

By: Rachel Browning Truong, rbrowning2@umc.edu

On September 13, 2023, the Tindle family’s world was turned upside down when 17-year-old Marlee Tindle from Meadville, Mississippi, was involved in a serious single-car accident. Ejected from the vehicle, Marlee was found unconscious and critically injured beneath the car. Her father, Tom Tindle, the local sheriff, was the first responder to the scene—only to discover it was his own daughter he was rushing to save.

Marlee was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, where she received life-saving care. Diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury, among other injuries, her Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was just 8. She required immediate intervention to control her intracranial pressure and prevent further complications.

Dr. Allison Strickland and her team acted swiftly, performing a bedside twist drill craniotomy to place an external ventricular drain (EVD) and an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor. These procedures stabilized Marlee’s condition. She spent the next 20 days in the ICU under constant supervision. During this time, Marlee’s mother, Kathryn "Kaky" Tindle, rarely left her side. Kaky recalls how Dr. Strickland frequently checked in on them, providing comfort during an incredibly difficult time. “Dr. Strickland kept coming back to check on us, almost every day,” Kaky said. “Her care made all the difference.”

Thanks to Dr. Strickland’s expertise, Marlee avoided more invasive interventions and left the hospital with only a nasogastric (NG) tube for feeding. After 13 days in a medically induced coma, Marlee began to wake up—a hopeful milestone in her recovery. She started short sessions of physical, speech, and occupational therapy, slowly regaining function.

Marlee’s recovery continued at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she made significant progress. By February 2024, she returned to her junior year of high school and even participated in a pageant—a remarkable feat considering the challenges she had overcome. Despite some lingering neurocognitive difficulties, she is on track to graduate on time. “You can tell if you talk to me for a while; I have my slow moments,” Marlee admitted with a smile. Her spirit remains strong, and she has even resumed soccer and cheerleading, performing a back handspring at one of the first football games of the year.

Nearly a year after Marlee’s accident, Kaky faced her own medical emergency. In July 2024, she fell, cutting her head during her granddaughter’s first birthday celebration. A CT scan at her local hospital revealed a mass—an unexpected diagnosis that left Kaky deeply anxious. “I instantly thought it was cancer when they said I had a mass,” Kaky recalled. “I knew I had to see Dr. Strickland. As Marlee’s sole caregiver, I knew I had to take care of this with someone I trusted." 

Kaky’s care was quickly and seamlessly coordinated by the UMMC team. Within days, an MRI and angiogram confirmed a left M3-4 saccular aneurysm, not cancer. On August 2, 2024, Dr. Strickland performed a successful clip ligation of Kaky’s aneurysm.

"I first met Kaky while I was caring for her daughter Marlee after the accident. I never imagined that less than a year later, I’d be caring for Kaky herself,” Dr. Strickland admitted. “They are such a sweet family. It’s been a unique experience getting to know them both through challenging times, and I’m so glad to see them both doing well."

Reflecting on their shared experiences at UMMC, Kaky expressed immense gratitude for the continuity of care provided by Dr. Strickland and the neurosurgery team. “There was this other physician who checked on us when Marlee was in the ICU,” Kaky shared. “Then when I woke up in the ICU, he was there again! I told him, ‘You took care of my daughter, and now you’re taking care of me.’ He even went out to check on Marlee in the waiting room, almost a year later.”

She was referring to neurosurgery resident, Dr. Madhav Sankhyan. “I remember seeing Kaky in the ICU,” Sankhyan recalled. “She asked if I remembered her. I said, 'Of course, you’re Marlee’s mom!' I hesitated to ask about Marlee, unsure of how she was doing. Kaky casually said, 'Oh, she’s outside right now.’ I went to the waiting room and saw her standing there like nothing had ever happened. I was floored, in the best way possible. Seeing them both recover so well makes everything we do completely worth it.” 

Today, both Marlee and Kaky continue their recovery journeys, attending follow-up appointments at UMMC together. Their story is one of resilience, hope, and the life-changing care they received from UMMC’s Department of Neurosurgery. United by their experiences, they are stronger than ever, thankful for the compassionate expertise that helped them navigate some of their toughest moments.