'So full of light': Survivor of deadly crash stays positive through recovery
On Jan. 29, a crash on Interstate 80 in Sarpy County, Nebraska, killed David Hardy and Sabrina Reynolds, the two best friends of Tanjeneia Bass.
Bass, 27, was the only one in the crash to survive.
For the past month, Bass has spent her days stepping, bending and working her way to her last day of in-patient rehab at CHI Immanuel Hospital.
"I'm going to give you a hug before I leave too," she told her physical therapist Nina Nelson.
Nelson said she noticed something special about Bass from day one.
"She was just so full of light, so optimistic and so positive," Nelson said.
But every moment isn't so bright for Bass.
"I cry every day since March... and it hurts. I wake up every day and my two best friends are gone," she said.
When Bass woke up from her coma, she learned about Hardy and Reynolds dying from the crash.
"They should still be here. They should not be gone," Bass said. "I did have survivor's guilt, like why did I make it but they didn't?'"
Before Bass was transferred to Immanuel, medics rushed her to CUMC Bergan Mercy from the crash.
"She had a lot of fractures in her pelvis and in her ribs, and her arms," Nelson said.
Bass also suffered brain damage and some memory loss.
"For three and a half months, I couldn't walk. I just started walking again about two weeks ago," she told sister station KETV.
Before the crash, Bass had a busy life as a mother and full-time college student, working two jobs.
"She was determined that she was going to continue with those roles in her life after she recovered and left here," Nelson said.
Now, Bass is moving forward to a life that is forever changed. But she's determined to keep her head up along the way.
"I've grown to love my scars because it makes me a survivor," Bass said.