Life took on a whole new meaning for Kiara Luquin the moment it all appeared to have ended. A freshman still struggling to adjust to a much larger high school environment, Kiara’s world changed in an instant one October afternoon in 2016 when she was hit by a car while on a practice run with the Rancho Cucamonga cross country team.
The impact occurred with such force that a police officer arriving on the scene called for the coroner’s office. She is believed to have died for 3-5 minutes before miraculously recovering.
“The stoplight turned for me to walk, and as soon as I looked to the left, everything went black,” Kiara says today. “I had that experience where I saw light and my God. I told Him I wasn’t ready to go. He said, ‘OK, Baby.’ The next thing I know, I’m gasping for air.”
Kiara was airlifted to Loma Linda Hospital, where surgery was needed to repair the extreme trauma to her face and jaw. A month later, she returned home, where she spent the next five months indoors – the mirrors on the walls covered to keep her from seeing her injuries. When one of the coverings accidentally fell off, and Kiara was able to see herself for the first time in months, she broke down crying.
“It was so overwhelming. I didn’t look like the same person,” Kiara says.
In fact, she now believes she’s a better person than before the accident – more focused on the “the value of what’s really important.” Things like family and teaching others life lessons she has learned. Though she still bears some scarring from her accident, Kiara confronts the world with a confidence, determination and maturity that belies her age. She’s active in Student Achievement, casually refers to her “new face” and refuses to look back – except to put into context what she truly believes was a blessing.
“Kiara grew up in seconds and matured quicker than you can imagine,” says Cary Willborn, Principal at Rancho Cucamonga High School. “She is beautiful because of her spirit. The fact that she’s even here is a tribute to her amazing strength.”
Willborn experienced that strength first-hand the night of the accident. The prognosis was not good, and when the principal arrived at the hospital, Kiara’s father escorted him to her bedside.
“As soon as I saw her, I fell apart. I lost it,” Willborn says. “Then, suddenly, I hear her say, ‘It’s OK Mr. Willborn, I’m going to make it.’ I was there to be strong for her, and she was the one taking care of me.”
Not that there weren’t moments of weakness. After months of homeschooling, Kiara returned to campus in the spring of 2017, usually taking her lunch break in the school office. “I was embarrassed by how I looked. I felt people were focusing on me and my face,” she says. “But I got close with the staff, and was determined to get myself on the right track.”
A big moment occurred when she joined the track team that spring. In her first race, every runner from her school and Alta Loma High School – the team they were competing with that day – made sure Kiara finished first.
“I was so focused on my run, I didn’t really notice that no one was passing me. Then I saw my father, and the whole crowd was standing up and cheering,” she says.
As much as Kiara loves running, getting back into the swing of things has been an adjustment, especially when it comes to training on local streets, but she intends to give it her next fall. “I feel a deep connection when it comes to running,” she says.
Kiara also feels a deep connection to returning the support she received during her ordeal. She intends to pursue a career in public service, perhaps joining the Coast Guard and then getting into law enforcement.
“I want to be there for people, the way people were there for me,” she says.
As for the lessons she would share: “Live everyday as if it were your last. That day was just a regular day for me. You just don’t know when everything can go away.”