Sierra Middlebrooks: Feature Story

She thought it was simply the common cold, but it was much more than that.

Sierra Middlebrooks is a student at High Point University. She is active in the student community, very involved, and a singer in the acapella group on campus. On September 17th, her normal world was shaken up.

Sierra Middlebrooks

"After being sick for a couple weeks, I found myself struggling to breathe, swallow, or even eat," Middlebrooks said.

She thought it was just a cold at first, but it continued to worsen. She went to multiple doctors to get a second opinion. The first few told her it was probably a severe cold or some type of infection and sent her away with antibiotics. It was when she got to the hospital that her condition was revealed as something more serious.


"A very resistant strand of an often-fatal infection was growing into an abscess the size of a baseball in my throat and neck that was suffocating me by the minute," she said. "I was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Greensboro where they told me I would need emergency surgery in order to save my life."


Middlebrooks was scared for the coming hours. She is from Colorado so her family could not be down there right away. She did not know what to expect, but she said she had her sorority sisters by her side the whole time. 


"My oxygen levels dropped drastically right before surgery, I was exhausted from having to work so hard to breath, and I could feel myself losing consciousness," she said. "I remember asking myself: what if this is it?  What are you supposed to say in your final prayer?"


Luckily, the surgeons were able to perform an emergency tracheotomy relieving her of the pain and allowing her to breathe through the tube. She remained in the hospital for a little over two weeks and her friends and family were by her side. There were constant visitors bringing flowers, cards, and inspirational posters. Not once did she feel alone. 


"Even Nido came to visit!" she said. 


Her recovery was long, but she was able to come back to school. Her tube was removed and her voice came back. 

She is still not completely recovered, but has made great progress. She is back to singing and staying involved within campus life. 


She was one of the lucky ones. She got a second chance.