For weeks now, Cleighton Strickland’s family has begun every single day with the same prayer: please let there be good news today.
As 2026 arrives, that prayer is finally being answered — not with miracles overnight, but with small, meaningful signs that have reignited hope for a family that has endured unimaginable uncertainty.
It has been nine long weeks since Cleighton, a former Daphne High School baseball player from Daphne, Alabama, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a devastating car accident in Auburn. In the aftermath, time seemed to slow. Days blurred into nights filled with waiting, worry, and constant updates that offered little certainty about what the future might hold.
Now, Cleighton has taken a critical step forward.
He has been transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta — one of the most respected rehabilitation hospitals in the world, known for treating patients with complex brain and spinal injuries. For the Strickland family, the move represents more than a change in location. It represents possibility.
This morning, Cleighton’s mother, Amy, shared an update from Atlanta — one that brought cautious optimism to everyone who has been following his journey.
According to Amy, Cleighton is currently moving in and out of consciousness. While he is not fully awake or alert, there are moments that feel deeply significant. He is tracking people with his eyes. He is turning his head toward voices in the room. These actions may seem small, but in the world of traumatic brain injury recovery, they are powerful indicators that the brain is responding.
Amy also shared that Cleighton has begun making noises. He is not yet forming words, but the sounds themselves are a sign of effort — of his body trying to reconnect pathways that were once automatic. At times, he is interacting with those around him, responding in subtle ways that bring both comfort and emotion to the people who love him most.
One of the most difficult — yet encouraging — moments came during a recent therapy session.
Amy sent a video showing therapists helping Cleighton stand using a specialized rehabilitation machine. The moment is not easy to watch. His body is supported, his movements limited, the effort visible. But Amy wanted people to see it anyway. To see the reality — and the progress.
Standing, even with assistance, marks an important milestone in recovery. It shows engagement, tolerance, and the beginning of rebuilding strength. For Cleighton’s family, it was a moment filled with tears — not just because of how far he still has to go, but because of how far he has already come.
The past nine weeks have been emotionally overwhelming for everyone involved — Cleighton, his parents, his loved ones, and his girlfriend, Mary Claire, who has remained by his side through the uncertainty. There have been moments of fear, moments of heartbreak, and moments where hope felt painfully distant.
But now, the family says they are encouraged.
They understand that recovery from a traumatic brain injury is a long, unpredictable process. There are no guarantees, no timelines, no straight lines forward. But these early signs — the eye contact, the head movements, the sounds, the effort in therapy — are giving them something they have desperately needed: reason to believe.
As the new year begins, the Strickland family continues to ask for prayers, support, and patience. They are hopeful that 2026 will bring continued progress, healing, and more moments that remind them Cleighton is still fighting.
For now, they are holding on to these glimmers of good news — one day, one sign, one breath at a time.
