LA GRANGE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Tristan Ballinger has gone from a hospital bed to a wheel chair to crutches, and on Saturday, he'll be making his way across the graduation stage.
“I didn't know this would be possible ... to have him graduate this year," said Nicole Ballinger, Tristan's mother. "But once we got things figured out and we got a path planned, Tristan stuck with it. He worked hard."
The stage was already set in advance at Freedom Hall, the chairs lined up in perfectly in rows for the hundreds of Oldham County High School seniors.
“I’m really excited about graduating,” Tristan said nervously.
“I'm very proud of Tristan," added Mike Ballinger, Tristan's father. "Words just can't describe how you feel."
During his sophomore year, Tristan was injured in a freak sword accident. Because of the severe brain injury, he was in a coma for two months at the end of 2016 and released from the hospital several months later. Since then, he's been to physical therapy in Chicago, Japan and Florida.
“He’s overcome so much," Mike Ballinger said. "He's always been a good student. But even when the chips were stacked against him, he's still been able to pull through."
Despite missing so much school, he would do his homework and study online with his aid.
“I had straight As,” Tristan proudly said.
And like any high school senior, these last few months have been filled with fun. Tristan went to prom and was voted Prom King.
“Well, I did a lot of dancing,” Tristan said.
“It was so sweet," Nicole Ballinger added. "Words can’t even describe how emotional it was."
Tristan also cheered on all of his buddies on the baseball team, for which he used to be the catcher.
“I love baseball,” Tristan said.
And he was alongside those teammates on senior night.
“I'm going to miss them a lot,” he said. “They’ll always be in my heart.”
When Tristan was initially released from the hospital, he was in a wheelchair and couldn’t really move his arms or legs. Now, he’s standing, walking with crutches and working on getting stronger every day. Tristan's doctor said, medically speaking, he shouldn't be able to do any of what he's been doing, which makes Saturday all the more special.
“He’s a living miracle,“ Mike Ballinger said.
“It's going to be extremely emotional," Nicole Ballinger added. "This has been a very difficult couple years."
Tristan will likely go back to Chicago and Florida for more physical therapy. He also plans to take the ACT in June. He wants to go to college to become a veterinarian.
To follow along on Tristan’s progress and to help donate to his physical therapy costs, click here.
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