Nearly 10 years ago, Justin (J.T.) Holloway was pinned underneath a car, his life hanging in the balance. His injuries were so severe that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
But there was a ton of fight left in Holloway’s spirit: plenty enough for him to defy the odds. Months of recovery, 23 surgeries and yes, even a few setbacks … they all seem so far away.
It’s been 10 years, and J.T. is still going strong, despite a brain injury that has robbed him of the ability to walk and talk. But that injury has not stolen his spirit, his “can-do” attitude and a “never quit” mentality.
With his mother Barbara by his side, J.T. can communicate with family and visitors to their south Fayette home. He goes to church with his dad, and he is a dedicated fan of the Georgia Tech football team, firmly planted in front of the TV on football Saturdays.
It certainly isn’t the way the Holloways had planned J.T.’s life trajectory. But Barbara insists that she and “Jay” have been extremely fortunate, and beyond blessed.
“Truly he is a miracle from heaven, he is just my miracle,” Barbara said.
Although J.T. can’t directly reply by voice, he understands everything said by the people around him, Barbara Holloway said.
The two have worked out a communication system that allows Barbara to decode his thoughts by reading the movement of J.T.’s eyes, which he can control. While it is a tedious system to the outside observer, it is effective, and it shows that Justin still has a lot of life left to live.
When a recent conversation drifted to their shared goal of one day retiring at Lake Martin, Barbara recalls one day how her adventurous son drove away on a jetski and disappeared for more than an hour.
J.T. immediately became animated, lifting his right arm up and shaking it. He had something to say.
Using their system, Barbara decoded her son’s words, measuring his eye movements as she ticked off the letters of the alphabet.
“I am the only one to jump off the rock,” J.T. said, with a huge grin on his face.
He was referring to Chimney Rock, a formation where thrill-seekers can jump 60 feet into the lake.
J.T. and Barbara hope to one day retire to a place on Lake Martin, a place where many family memories were made at his grandfather’s home.
To combat the traumatic brain injury that J.T. suffered in the wreck, his bedroom is full of things to remind him of his life preceding the accident. Georgia Tech football, an allegiance to Dale Earnhardt Jr. And there’s even a special flag, the last “old” Georgia flag that was flown over the state capitol, a gift from U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.
J.T.’s life markedly changed after the accident. Prior to the wreck, he was a physically fit, gifted offensive lineman for the Fayette County High School Tigers. In fact, he was named most improved player his senior year. His coach delivered the trophy to J.T.’s hospital bed.
“That man sat there and cried like a baby that night,” Barbara Holloway remembered.
The fact that J.T. survived at all is some sort of a miracle. His truck flipped over, but somehow he managed to escape, despite the fact that his seatbelt remained buckled.
“Jay says that God pulled him out,” his mother said.
Indeed, there was a long road ahead of the Holloway family. But it has led to a happy life today, despite and, just maybe, because of all obstacles they have faced … and beaten.
Just graduating from high school was a significant feat. He could have done so with a special education degree and no extra work, but Barbara was adamant he would get the real deal, particularly since he was just two classes short of a full degree.
It took two years of painstaking work. But J.T. managed to capture that high school diploma that once was the key to his future. Now, it’s a symbol of what can be accomplished by putting one’s nose to the grindstone.
It’s the type of lesson often taught on the football field: “never give up.”
Some two years after the wreck, J.T. was to the point where he could talk incredibly well, and he was beginning to walk again with assistance. But then there was another setback: a problem with the pump delivering pain medicine gave J.T. an overdose, and all that progress was wiped away, Barbara recalled.
“There was a point I truly believed he was going to walk,” she said.
Nowadays, J.T. is fortunate because of the generosity of Brent Scarborough and Jeff Betsill Homes, which left them with a very affordable handicap-accessible home. Every morning, J.T. is rousted from bed by a system that hooks him onto a ceiling-mounted rail that takes him to the bathroom and shower area … and ultimately into his wheelchair.
Though the brain injury has robbed J.T. of the ability to walk, he still enjoys plenty of what life has to offer. In addition to church and Georgia Tech football, Holloway is also a big fan of country music, and sitcoms on TBS and John Wayne.
He dreams of one day going to Georgia Tech as a student. He goes on outings so life can be as normal as possible: such as a trip to Callaway Gardens to see the Christmas lights. And several years ago they made it to a Georgia Tech bowl game, which Barbara says is likely J.T.’s favorite trip.
J.T. also goes to the zoo, another of his favorite places, and to picnics and the Georgia Aquarium.
And this year for the second time, J.T. will help light the city of Fayetteville’s Christmas tree in festivities Saturday evening. His beaming bright smile will be in the spotlight.
In the meantime, the Holloways are hopeful for advances in the field of brain injury research, particularly since so many soldiers are coming back with brain trauma from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And they are also thankful. Terribly thankful.
Barbara Holloway credits the family’s faith for helping them get through the hard times. She herself has prayed many a rosary to get through the worst of it.
Barbara remembers the night of the crash, when doctors told her to stay at her son’s side because he wouldn’t make it through the morning.
They were wrong. More particularly, J.T. proved them wrong. It was that “never give up” spirit.
It’s a pretty solid mark to leave for someone who was pronounced dead 10 years ago, and had to be brought back to life three different times following the crash.
“We’re healthy and happy, and that’s all we need to be,” Barbara Holloway said. “Healthy and happy. … You were just meant to be here, Jay. God has a purpose and a plan.”
