06/24/2026
6/23/26
Weekly Update
Our local newspaper, The Yamhill County News Register, came out to to visit Ripley and share her story. They initially shared her story not to long after her accident in December. The reporter, Emily and photographer, Rachel, spent a few hours listening to Ripley and her family share their experience from the accident, uncertain first week, months or recovery, her graduation and her continued progress after coming home. Thank you for helping spread Ripley’s amazing recovery!
Full article below ⬇️
Walking before she can run: Willamina native receives diploma while recovering from traumatic brain injury
A car accident may have changed Ripley Anderson’s life path, but she embodies the internal strength and determination to rebuild not only her neural pathways but also her life.
By Emily Bonsant of the News-Register
June 19, 2026
Ripley Anderson, 22, is a walking miracle.
The young woman from Willamina had everything going for her. After graduating from Willamina High School in 2022 as valedictorian, she was on the fast track to graduate film school early with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Advertising, and Entertainment Marketing from Chapman University in Anaheim, California.
She interned at Disney and was preparing to launch herself into a career in the entertainment industry.
Then on Dec. 4, 2025, a speeding driver ran a red light and slammed into her vehicle, according to the university. Her family described it in online postings as "a horrific car crash".
When her parents Mariza Anderson and Tim France landed in California, they found Ripley in an ICU hospital bed with a breathing tube. She was in a coma.
"(Doctors said) be prepared; there may not ever be any improvement," France said.
When Ripley opened her eyes, her parents were ecstatic. Another meaningful moment occurred when she tracked her sister Evelyn when she walked into the room. Then she started to breathe on her own.
Mariza said Ripley's recovery in the early weeks was like watching a baby develop.
"Your brain had to redo all of the neuropathways," France told Ripley, as they reminisced on her recovery.
Before Ripley began speaking again, her parents noticed her personality return in incremental moments. While FaceTiming one of her sisters, she began reaching toward the phone — so they tried to see if she could type.
Ripley intentionally hung up the call.
Later while her parents were brushing her teeth, Ripley grabbed the brush from their hands and did it herself.
“Her arm was moving uncontrollably, so it wasn't like moving with any purpose, it was just moving," France said. "She grabbed the toothbrush and brushed her teeth, turning the brush. It was out of the complete blue”.
He believed Ripley was trying to communicate with her eyes.
"Your eyes were saying stuff, but you couldn't verbalize anything" he said.
Another memorable time was when they were all talking about Ripley's signature peace sign hand gesture when taking photos. Lying in bed, Ripley lifted her hand in a peace sign.
That's when the family realized she was tracking the conversations, and eventually she began laughing at humorous moments.
The doctor told the family there was no way to know when her development would stop, so there were times her parents thought, "this could be as far as she improves."
Then visitors came.
"It was amazing, because people would start coming into the room and you could tell she knew them and could recognize them," Mariza said.
Ripley was then moved from UC Irvine Medical Center to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, which specializes in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
Soon she spoke for the first time.
Mariza was calling a friend when Ripley grabbed the phone and whispered, "This place f--ing sucks"
"It was the best thing," her mom said.
Her dad laughed about the memory, adding, “and that's a person who doesn't cuss”.
Her parents believe Ripley wasn't saying Craig Hospital was a bad place; rather, she was frustrated from the weeks of being pinched and poked with needles at UC Irvine, when doctors would frequently test if she would respond to pain.
"Every hour they would try to stimulate her and unfortunately it was through pain," France said.
Once she started talking, she wouldn't stop and was always thanking people who came to visit.
Her parents constantly had to tell her where she was, because of her struggles with short-term memory. Later, they learned she thought she might be at a mental institution, not understanding that her lack of memory was a result from the car accident and not mental health related.
"I don't remember the accident or anything up to my senior year summer," she told the News-Register.
Her parents noticed she seemed to "emerge" after New Year's, nearly a month after the accident.
Then her rehabilitation began, including relearning how to walk. Ripley put the work in. At Craig, they found a community and other families navigating a child with a TBI.
Not knowing how extensive the damage was, her parents began researching emerging technologies, ranging from helping make their home ADA-friendly to methods to help her speak.
But through lengthy physical therapy, Ripley is now walking around, her speech has improved and her voice is getting stronger.
Since there are so many unknowns about TBIs and each brain is different, her parents were informed that her personality might change as her neuropathways reform.
For the most part, she is still the same young woman, who loves boba tea and is passionate and hard working.
Although there wasn't any timeline set upon her, Ripley wanted to attend graduation. She had finished school in the fall semester, right before the accident.
Her parents thought that she could be wheeled across the stage at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts — instead, she walked across the stage on May 23.
Chapman Dean Stephen Galloway spoke about Ripley during his commencement speech, calling her an exceptional student and saying she and her family taught him a lesson in humanity.
The university hosted a birthday dinner for Ripley. So many people showed up that they couldn't fit everyone in the room.
"If there's one thing that this film school represents, it's that we believe in each other, and the only way to success and to stay there is by supporting each other," Galloway said.
When Ripley crossed the stage, she was embraced by faculty and Galloway and received a standing ovation. Her peers chanted her name as she held her diploma.
During her time at Chapman, Ripley was active on the University Programming Board. She was a committee member for two years, was an off-campus trips director and chaired the board her senior year.
She was also involved in the Insiders Mentorship program, where she served as vice president and later president. She recruited students, increased participation, designed a website and newsletter and organized several events.
Faculty members Eva Finn and Ed Lavelle led the mentorship program and described her as a hardworking, standout student and a great leader.
For the most part, Ripley doesn't recall being in these leadership positions. She also can't remember her internship at Disney, where she presented in front of executives.
"She had developed a professional persona and was more mature," her mom said. "Now that filter is gone and she is cracking more jokes. She just laughs so hard."
Ripley was always goofy with people close to her, but after the injury her sense of humor has changed. She previously considered bathroom humor embarrassing, but now she finds it hilarious.
She is more uncertain in places where she once was full of confidence because she doesn't remember those experiences.
Her family's main goal is to equip her for her new life so she can get a job and eventually live on her own.
"It's frustrating to see all her friends graduating. She was on the path to be in LA. She was on the way to be it," Mariza said.
Ripley has returned to Willamina and is living with her parents on their farm. Her life revolves around routines, which she needs for memory retention.
In the morning and evening, she journals about her goals for the day, what she wants to remember, how she slept and her feelings throughout the day. One of the prompts asks what actions can be taken to fix a problem or alleviate stress. She frequently takes notes on her cellphone, which is strapped to her side.
She bottle feeds a calf, Kota. Before the accident, she wasn't interested in the farm animals, but now she loves the calf.
Ripley began volunteering at the school library. She also loves reading.
Not recalling things does have some benefits, she said, like re-reading some of her favorite books and seeing her favorite movies "for the first time."
"The details I often forget, so it's good to read them again and be surprised," she said. "Movies, I think I forget more, so it's good to watch them."
"I'm still a great chef, I always have been," she said. Cooking Asian food, especially Korean cuisine, is her favorite.
Relearning basic chores like how to grocery shop has proved frustrating. "It makes me feel like I'm not going to get a job," she said.
However, her recovery process includes physical activities and exercise, which she didn't do before.
About her TBI, "The memory piece is the biggest obstacle," she said. "Also, that I can't do things like I did before, like drive or get a job. I can't really do those things, at least for now".
"Her brain is connecting pathways, her memories, thinking and problem solving - all that stuff got broken and we can't really repair it," Mariza said. "We have to rebuild them, and so it's going back to the basics of learning how to learn."
Ripley and France spend time working on math together. Growing up, she was always in advanced math courses, but now she had to relearn multiplication, along with other life skills.
"Your brain is your superpower," Mariza told Ripley. "And it's pretty crappy that's the thing that got hurt... your brain is pretty remarkable, and your brain is just going to re-figure it out. As one of the doctors says, your brain is kind of still waking up."
They have been told to expect two years of significant improvement, but right now Ripley is acting like a computer with too many tabs open as she's processing so much at once.
France reminded Ripley that "it's only been seven months ... and so we still have got quite a bit of time. That's why we don't keep resting; we keep working."
Ripley was named after Sigourney Weaver's character in the movie "Aliens" — Ellen Ripley.
Mariza said, "Her dad and I were big sci-fi movie fans."
When they were considering girl names, they thought of the character, who didn't try to become the heroine, but ended saving herself and others.
Ripley didn't like the name growing up, but admitted it did make her famous in college, since she was in film school.
"She has some internal strength and determination to survive, so it's just another level of connection with that," Mariza said.
"I never really thought about that before"
The family said they appreciate the support they received from the community ar Chapman University, which provided housing to Ripley's parents when they were in California.
A GoFundMe for her recovery received more than $74,000, which helped her family travel for visits in the hospital.
Mariza attributes the community support and prayers to Ripley’s recovery and healing.
“It’s been amazing. We’re so appreciative of the community,” Mariza said between tears. “You can’t do it alone. We know there are people out there praying, hoping for her.”
