Jamie Hilton, former Miss Idaho, is a “walking miracle” and much better for it

Oct 2, 2012 20:51 GMT  ·  By
Jamie Hilton is an inspiration, a role model for her amazing recovery after near-fatal head injury
   Jamie Hilton is an inspiration, a role model for her amazing recovery after near-fatal head injury

Jamie Hilton has always been a very beautiful woman, but never before had she felt more confident than she does today, after surviving a very severe fall that left her with 50-50 chances of making it. Today, she’s ready to tell her story.

Jamie was on The Today Show to talk about her amazing experience and how it actually helped her redefine the concept of beauty, which, she says, has more to do with what’s on the inside than with physical appearances.

The former Miss Idaho had a near-fatal fall during a fishing trip, which led to a swelling in the brain. To relieve the pressure, doctors removed about 25% of her skull and placed it for safe-keeping in her abdomen.

42 days later, they removed the piece and sutured it back on.

Her situation was so drastic that doctors gave her 50-50 chances of survival. She proved them wrong and is now billed a “walking miracle.”

“I remember lifting the gown, looking down and seeing this bulge in my stomach, and thinking, ‘Is this real?’” Hilton says of her reaction upon waking up and finding the piece of skull in her stomach.

“When I woke up, I was surrounded by family. I could feel the joy when I opened my eyes, so the feeling in the room was good before they showed me my skull,” the mother of three goes on to say.

“I'm just so grateful the moment my feet touch the ground. The mundane isn't so mundane anymore – I get to make breakfast and take my kids to school. I'm so happy,” Mrs. Hilton says of how the near-fatal incident changed her.

She’s also more appreciative of the thing she used to take for granted before: her beauty. It comes from within and it’s closely related to happiness, and has very little to do with physical appearance.