Casey Downing Jr.

Sir Isaac Newton, a 17th-century English mathematician and physicist, said in his third law of motion that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

For Markia Sullivan, a senior and supply change and logistics major at the Mitchell College of Business, Newton’s law is a perfect metaphor for her life.

“When people tell me I can’t do something because of my physical condition, then I have to do it,” Sullivan said. "I have to prove it to myself, and then I have to show them I can do it.”

Sullivan’s life completely changed when she was nine years old, coming home from a Mardi Gras parade in downtown Mobile.

“I was riding in the back seat of my best friend’s parents’ car when suddenly we were rear-ended by a speeding drunk driver,” she said. “I was thrown to the front of the car, and my head hit the dashboard.”

Sullivan was rushed to a local hospital. Days later, the hospital was ready to release her, but her mother noticed something wrong. “After the accident, at the hospital, I was walking. The doctor told my mom there wasn’t anything wrong with me, and she could take me home,” Sullivan said. “But my mom, who was a nurse, refused to listen to the doctor because she knew that I wasn’t behaving normally.

“So the hospital did an MRI scan, and they discovered there was bleeding and swelling on my frontal lobe. I was rushed into emergency surgery. That would be the last time I walked.”

After the surgery, Sullivan was in an induced coma for two weeks.

“I don’t remember any of it happening to me, but I was told by my mom. When I woke up from the coma, I was being transported to the Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

“After several surgeries, my heart stopping twice, and two weeks in a coma, I woke up to find out I couldn’t walk, and my arms and hands weren’t working right. I had to stay in the Scottish Rite for eight months.”

Sullivan was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury caused by swelling, known as cerebral edema.

“It was really hard for me. I mean, one day I was walking around, and then everything changed,” she said. “I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t do normal activities anymore, but my cognitive skills were fine. I was the same person on the inside, but completely different on the outside.”

That fall, when school was back in session, because she missed half of the previous school year, Sullivan had to repeat the fifth grade. She also had to change to an accessible school that could accommodate her physical needs and her wheelchair.

“I had to learn to use a wheelchair, how to eat, how to take care of myself. My hands are weak, but luckily, I’m able to use computers and other electronics,” she said. “It took me a while to accept my life as it is. It wasn’t easy for me. I cried a lot.”

Sullivan went on to graduate from Shaw High School in Mobile. After taking time to create a plan and learning how to be more independent, she enrolled at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, where she earned an associate degree in computer information systems.

“Then I decided to keep going, so I enrolled at South,” she said.

“I chose South because of its accessibility for students like me and its accommodation of public transportation. I love it here.

“I get good grades, and I love the challenging classes. As soon as I get home, I do my class work and study for tests. I don’t like to wait. I like to get my work done right away.”

After she graduates with her bachelor’s degree, Sullivan plans on pursuing a master’s degree, and then

a career in business.

“I would really like to be a contract specialist,” she said. “I feel like that would be perfect for me.

“I’m not going to let anyone or anything keep me from reaching my goals. The accident that happened to me at 9 tried to take something from me, but it turns out that it made me more determined. Now I think I can do anything!”