BRYANT, Ark. — In mid-April, a Bryant school teacher was badly hurt in an ATV accident and lost her arm.
The recovery for Jessica Brown, in the middle of a pandemic, has been especially tough.
She tells us it's her students and the community who are helping her push through.
"When I was in the hospital I couldn't have visitors with me,” said Brown.
Getting through surgery alone was a challenge in itself, but now she's going home to a new kind of normal.
"I can't wait for my arm to fully heal, and I can bend it all the way and learn new stuff,” said Brown.
The Bryant School District worked behind the scenes to support her.
Her students sent handwritten letters with words of encouragement to her hospital bedside.
And some are already teaching her how to tie her shoe with one hand.
"She's young and she has a long life ahead of her,” said Joe Albritton, the Bryant Junior High assistant principal.
Albritton is recognized as the boss man. But if you know him, you notice his cave man-like beard first.
"We upped the ante and said, 'Hey, Albritton will shave his beard,'” said Albritton.
That's only if the Go Fund Me for Brown hits $20,000.
People wanted to help, but also wanted to see Albritton without a beard in over a decade.
It happened. The Bryant community raised over $20,000.
That'll help Brown get a prosthetic arm and bring hope to her future.
"I'm excited to see what life has to offer after the therapy stage,” said Brown.
Albritton plans to video-record and take pictures of him shaving his beard off next Tuesday.