LITTLETON, Colo. -- Looking at 18-year-old Jeanie Sederberg today, you would never guess what she's been through since August, 2009.

"I fell down a flight of stairs going to a basement," said Jeanie. "Nobody really knows what happened."

It's a moment her mother said she will never forget.

"I got a call from Porter Hospital E.R., and the call was very simple: Your daughter has been in an accident, she's not doing well," said Jean Sederberg.

A CT scan revealed the extent of her brain injury, leading doctors to predict only a 50 percent chance of survival.

"It was evident to me that there was some small areas of hemorrhage in the brain, in multiple areas of the brain," said Dr. Paul Davidson, emergency department physician at Porter Adventist Hospital.

So, she was transferred to Littleton Adventist Hospital by helicopter, where part of her skull was removed, to allow swelling, frozen and replaced three months later.

This was followed by weeks of speech and physical therapy before completing a dramatic recovery at Craig Hospital.

"The biggest thing I was concerned about was her language function, and that's probably been the most surprising thing," said Dr. David L. Ripley, brain injury physician at Craig Hospital.

Jeanie regained her speech in just four months, and returned to the debate and swim teams at Littleton High School, where she will graduate on time.

Doctors credit early medical intervention and therapy, as well as Jeanie's youth, and sheer determination, for her success.

"She was on the spectrum of the miracle survivor," said Dr. Paul Davidson, who was the first physician to treat her at Porter Adventist Hospital. "I mean, nobody who looked at that CT scan thought that she would be doing as well as she is now."

Her mother describes the recovery as a long series of small steps, and offers this advice for other families dealing with brain injuries:

"Hang in there, you can get a good result," said Jean.

As for Jeanie, she said she's just happy to be living a normal teenage life again, trying to keep it all in perspective.

"To be normal doesn't necessarily feel miraculous," said Jeanie. "But when you hear what other cases like yours look like, or what they were all thinking, then it does seem miraculous. Absolutely."

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and you can find more resources and information by clicking here, www.biacolorado.org.