Kitti Tong and Regina Richardson didn鈥檛 know each other very well before the incident that changed Tong鈥檚 life.
They were co-workers at a hotel corporation in Maryland and bonded over their early morning arrivals and late night departures. They were both serious and eager to get their work done and make an impression.
But on Nov. 12, 2018, a car hit Tong in a Rockville crosswalk while she was on the way home from work. Her employee badge flew off after the crash.
The hospital needed a next of kin to call. Tong鈥檚 mother had passed away years earlier, so the hospital called the company鈥檚 vice president. He and Richardson rushed there.
While their boss stood at a desk asking for Tong鈥檚 room, Richardson busted through the ICU doors.
“For a while, it was very touch and go where we didn’t know what the outcome would be, but I knew what a fighter she was,” Richardson told WTOP.
That was the start of a now yearslong relationship, during which Richardson has helped Tong recover from several brain surgeries, navigate physical and occupational therapy and find the right words when she can鈥檛.
Tong has aphasia, which leaves her sometimes struggling to understand others or have difficulty speaking herself.
With help from the MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, and Richardson鈥檚 care, Tong has hobbies and socializes with friends, capitalizing on a second chance at life.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a miracle,鈥� Richardson said. 鈥淛ust through and through.鈥�
Immediately after the crash, Tong spent a month in a coma on life support. Every day she was there, Richardson visited.
When it came time for Tong to be discharged, 鈥渢here was no place else that she needed to be, except here, because I knew we could tackle it together,鈥� Richardson said.
Tong鈥檚 new reality took a toll. She became depressed, but determined with Richardson鈥檚 help.
On some days, that meant reading Post-it notes on different objects around Richardson鈥檚 home. It meant learning how to get in and out of a car and up and down the stairs safely.
They sang Christmas songs in July, 鈥渂ecause that was able to be triggered earlier,鈥� Richardson said. And they often communicated through pictures.
In case Tong ever got lost, Richardson made sure she knew she lived near the Pentagon.
After her initial five-month hospital stay, it took Tong a year to learn to walk again, and even longer to start speaking. At first, she started with short sentences.
鈥淩egina is an angel,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淪he helped me a lot to my journey. The OT, PT, the physical is fine, but my mental is not fine. My mental state feel like my suicide, but Regina helped me through a lot.鈥�
While they watch TV together and each have separate daily responsibilities, Richardson sometimes finds herself staring at the ceiling. It鈥檚 one of the few ways she can always be listening to be sure Tong is safe but also have alone time.
It鈥檚 the approach Richardson took after Tong had a seizure in the shower. She moved quickly to protect Tong鈥檚 head and get her out.
Sara Cappello, a senior physical therapist at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, said when patients “don鈥檛 have a bond like Regina had for Kitti, it鈥檚 so hard for patients who are going through a hard time like this to dig deep and find that internal motivation, because so much is happening to them.鈥�
The outcome, Cappello said, is 鈥渁 miracle, but it also just goes to show how strong she is.鈥�
Tong has a poster with photos at various stages of her recovery, and a notebook with words she once jotted down. On the one year anniversary of the crash, she visited the hospital, offering the staff a glimpse at the impact of their work.
On Wednesday night, the seven-year anniversary, which always falls during National Family Caregivers Month, she celebrated with dinner.
鈥淪he is my caregiver, but she’s my sister,鈥� Tong said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more important than caregiving that I鈥檝e done in my life,鈥� Richardson said.
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