August 27, 2017
Forrest Allen seemed to have it all — sporty, smart and loved by family and friends in Middleburg. He was doing well in school and had ambitions to become a veterinarian.
But in 2011, Allen’s life took an unexpected turn at age 18 during a snowboarding outing. After striking clumps of ice, he fell, and his dive continued into a wooden fence. Allen wasn’t wearing a helmet, and he was left unable to speak or walk.
Surgeons were forced to remove part of his skull to ease the pressure on his brain.
While the outlook was bleak, Allen somehow stayed positive.
Over the next five years, Allen would learn how to speak and walk again – something doctors at one point doubted. Year by year, his recovery progressed, and all the while someone was capturing it.
A Place To Be 