COLUMBIA, Ky. — A year ago on May 2, the Starks family had their world turned upside down. One year later, Brice Starks is on the cusp of high school graduation.

“The sheriff came at three in the morning, woke us up, pounded on the doors and the windows and everything to get us up and they said he was in very critical condition and we jumped in the car and had to drive two hours to Louisville, the longest two hours of our life,” Tori Starks said.

Their son Brice was involved in an off-roading accident, where he was thrown from the side-by-side, resulting in a traumatic brain injury when it landed on top of him.

“He had six cracked vertebrae, he had bruises on his heart and three bruises on his brain so left frontal, right frontal and then back because he was on a ventilator when we got there, it was very serious,” Tori Starks said.

Brice was air-lifted to UofL Hospital where he spent three weeks in the hospital and two and a half months at Frazier Rehab Institute before being sent home. Thanks to donations from friends, family and anonymous donors, the Starks stayed in Louisville cost-free for three months. When the Starks finally returned home, their community welcomed them with a parade.

“The community here in Columbia was unbelievable and we’ll never be able to forget it and this our home now,” Chris Starks said.

Brice’s road to recovery didn’t stop in Louisville. He still sees occupational and physical therapists three times a week, three hours each day at TJ Regional Health in Glasgow, Kentucky.

“We can't fix what happened but we can fix our future, we can make it better and he can keep working hard and he's got a full life to live,” Tori Starks said. “We want to give him that opportunity and so we're doing anything and everything we can to get him there.”

His family is hopeful to reach a goal Brice has his heart set on: walking during his high school graduation.

“Another goal we weren't for sure was even attainable was he wanted to walk across the stage and get his diploma,” Chris Starks said. “We weren't sure about that but I think everyday in the back of his mind that's what he wanted to do.”

Brice will graduate from Adair County High School on May 21.