Veronica Watts Turns Tragedy Into Action

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Veronica Watts, 28, is a passionate communicator and advocate at heart.

After studying international affairs and human rights at the University of Georgia, she worked as a legislative assistant at the Georgia State Capitol and then as an assistant director of state affairs with Emory University. Her path has always involved advocating for healthcare and education through policy and bringing people together. 

On Saturday, Feb. 9, 2024, Veronica experienced something that would change her life and make her an even fiercer advocate for those who need it most. While walking home in Atlanta, she crossed a large intersection. 

“I started to walk while the pedestrian light was flashing, and a car crashed into me. I smashed my head on the windshield. The driver braked, and I was thrown 38 feet while my face skid across the concrete,” Veronica recalls. 

Eight hours later, Veronica woke up at Grady Memorial Hospital with a tube in her throat. Bones in her face and her teeth were broken, and she had sustained a mild traumatic brain injury, commonly called a concussion.

When the head is hit hard enough, the brain can be shaken around inside the skull. This movement can cause changes to how brain cells function and communicate. In Veronica’s case, this led to general memory and word memory loss, migraines, sensitivity to light and sound, and motion sickness. The nerves that connect her eyes and ears to her brain were also impacted during the crash.

Veronica spent five days at Grady. Her mom, Laena Karnstedt, a doctor, recognized that she needed specialized care to continue to progress. After researching several programs, she decided the best place for Veronica was Shepherd Center’s Complex Concussion Clinic (CCC). 

From the end of February through May 2024, Veronica attended occupational, speech, and physical therapy at the CCC. Among other goals, she wanted to be able to attend a loud live music show, hike, and use a bright computer screen or go to a grocery store without wearing sunglasses.

“I can go on and on about how grateful I am that my mom pushed me to go to the CCC,” Veronica says. “They were experts. It wasn't as much, ‘This is the plan and how we’re doing it,’ but more, ‘What do you need, and we'll go from there.’ They put lots of emphasis on you being your own person and not grouping everyone into one way of doing things.”

In speech therapy, Veronica worked on memory activities and communication. Occupational therapy focused on vision therapy. As she puts it, “We were literally exercising my eyeballs. Moving left to right to up and down.” Physical therapy was hands-on and offered some unique experiences.

“I was really impressed by some of the technology there. There was this balance machine. I remember being like, ‘What the heck is this giant circular thing in the corner? Woah!’” she laughs. “I've been in PT before, but not anything like this.”

As Veronica progressed, another unthinkable event happened. Tragically, her mom Laena passed away unexpectedly.

“I was in the bathroom at the CCC when I found out my mom died,” she recalls. “I was with three of my therapists and every single one of them was so understanding. We were able to work through both grief and rehabilitation therapy. That’s not their expertise, but in a way, it helped me not only heal in my injury, but also my grief. It was hard, but every time I went in the CCC, everybody was really so kind.”

Veronica graduated from Shepherd’s program and put her energy into healing from grief. Ever the advocate, she also engrossed herself in research on pedestrian and cyclist safety in Georgia.

“Every part of the system that was supposed to help me in cases like this let me down. This is still considered only a traffic violation,” she explains.

She decided to create a resolution in partnership with a Georgia senator and lawyers at the Georgia State Capitol. While the resolution was not prioritized during this cycle, Veronica plans to continue the conversation about pedestrian and cyclist safety so that it gains traction.

“My dream is to work with experts to create and run mental health programs where people can feel safe to be vulnerable,” she says. “Whether that’s through creating connections or helping enact policy, I want to improve people’s opportunities to grow and flourish.”

Today, Veronica says she’s fully healed from her traumatic injury symptoms. She is currently attending the University of Toronto, pursuing a master’s degree in social justice education and development, policy, and power.

“A lot of really life-changing things happened to me in a short time. It was a frustrating and hard process, but it was worth pushing through,” she says. “If I can use my story to help somebody who may not have the resources or the same mindset in a similar situation, that’s what I want to be doing.”  

Written by Damjana Alverson

Featured Photo by Jason Getz/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution