On November 5, 2017, in Memphis, Tennessee Mihkyelle Cooper was hospitalized after a rolling car crash. Her cousin fell asleep behind the wheel, and when Cooper attempted to wake her, the cousin “popped” the car and it flipped over twelve times across the highway, from left to right. Cooper said, “Once the car stopped flipping she was in my lap. I was shaking her and her brains were falling into my lap.”
Mihkyelle Cooper was born in Granite City, Illinois. She attended and graduated from O’Fallon High School. Cooper said she heard about Blackburn through a program at her school called Camp College that takes students on tours to different colleges in Illinois. They visited the school, and she liked it, so she applied and got in. She loved the class sizes and the financial aid help she received from the school.
It seemed as if her life was going great, and she was on the track of graduating early from high school. The life she lived before her horrific accident was amazing, and she saw what was to come.
Cooper was involved in this accident, and the first thing she did was try to see if her cousin was okay. During the commotion, Cooper said that she could not find her right arm, she thought that it was missing, but it fell out of the car when she tried to get out. She said, “I stood on the side of the highway and no one helped me for about ten minutes.”
Mihkyelle was rushed to the hospital, and her cousin was pronounced dead. Cooper had to endure over twelve surgeries on her right arm. She has no muscle or feeling from her right arm down to her hand. She had a skin grafting procedure because her arm was just bone. Her humerus was broken, and her left lung deflated.
The accident affected her graduation date, and she was home bound. Cooper said that she struggled with all the work she was given and there were plenty of times that she wanted to give up. She had been through a lot after the accident, lack of motivation or continuance, body image issues, the loss of friends and suicidal thoughts.
When Cooper reflects on the accident she said, “I feel strong. I feel like I can overcome anything when I think back.” She believes that a situation is what you make it. That is why, despite the thoughts of giving up, she never did. Cooper prospered, and now she is at Blackburn, ready to continue her life and take on the world. She is making excellent grades and involved in different clubs here. Mihkyelle Cooper has definitely earned some spotlight.