Rochester, N.Y. – The Clanton family never planned on being in Rochester this long.
An August accident along the canal changed everything for the family.
Eight-year-old Sam and Selah, and their father were rescued from the canal after the stroller the children were in rolled into the water.
Selah suffered the most serious injuries, but recently has recovered enough to go home for treatment.
Tuesday is a milestone in Selah's recovery and it's also her father, Jon's birthday. "Selah heading home is the best present in the world," said Jon.
"She's a fighter and she's going to fight this,” said Yvonne Clanton, Selah’s mother.
It’s been 18 weeks since she and her family's life took a tragic turn.
"I really believe that when we come back in August for Sam's check ups that he has and she'll have a follow up appointment if she's able to come, and we believe she'll be able to come,” said Clanton. “We believe she's going to surprise a lot of people."
Selah has already surprised people and made strides that her doctors didn't even expect.
“She's made progress that we really never would have predicted,” said Dr. Barbara Asselin, a Pediatrics Specialist at Strong Memorial Hospital, “so we're hopeful for the future too.”
And so are her parents. They're hopeful that the fish oil treatments she has will continue to help her improve.
"She's been receiving it [fish oil] for over 4 weeks,” said Dr. Asselin. “She's had the kind of response that people hope for in terms of some of the lab tests that we do and we're hoping that it will help her continue to progress."
On Tuesday, leaving the hospital with all their children and heading back home to Florida is progress both Jon and Yvonne Clanton didn't believe would happen 18 weeks ago.
"God in his mercy allowed her to begin returning to us and she's definitely returning,” said Yvonne Clanton. “It's definitely a wonderful ending, but we still a have a long way to go."
It’s a long way to go, but on a path in the right direction.
"It takes time,” said Jon Clanton, “and we're just thankful for the people who have rallied around us and helped us."
Selah was flown to a pediatric rehabilitation center in Jacksonville, Florida. The rest of her family is driving to meet her there, and will stay in a hotel while she continues to recover.
