Kara Marler, 17, and her older sister Kayla, 20, of Troy, Missouri, used to gossip all the time. Now, even if she did tell her something, Kayla wouldn’t remember. “I hope we’ll get back to that way but it takes some time to get over the fact that she’s not the same Kayla.”

On March 15, 2009, Kayla was the passenger in a car accident that killed her boyfriend of five months and caused her severe brain damage, and broke her neck, pelvic bone and shoulder blade. Kara, the baby of the family, has become the big sister by helping Kayla feed herself, get dressed and go to sleep. Although it can be frustrating, Kara knows her sister would do the same for her.