Katherine Deng’s life drastically changed when she collided with a pedestrian on her bicycle in Prospect Park on July 4, 2021. Despite wearing a helmet, Deng experienced a traumatic brain injury that required multiple surgeries and months of rehabilitation. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude, however, have made her journey an inspiration.

“Rarely have I seen her frown,” Heidi N. Fusco MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation, tells PIX11 News. “Rarely have I seen her get discouraged. She just wants to keep improving. She draws people to her. You just want to be near her.”

A year after her crash, Deng and her partner, Jason Zheng, returned to the park where the accident occurred.

“As long as you are alive, there is always opportunity”, Deng says. “There is always chance to get better. It is a hard journey, but I think I am very proud of myself.”

Read more from PIX11 News.