At the beginning of 2024, like any high school senior, four-sport athlete Dhonavanh “Dhon” Calvin Cain was looking ahead to a new phase of life, gearing up to celebrate this new era with treasured high school traditions like graduation and prom. But sadly, that trajectory abruptly changed on March 7, 2024, when he was struck by a car on an Oregon highway and urgently rushed to three separate hospitals, all doing whatever possible to keep him alive.
His condition was critical, with doctors unsure if he would make it through the night. Fortunately, doctors at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland were able to stabilize him and fully assess the extent of his injuries. There, Dhon was found to have a diffuse axonal brain injury, brain bleeding, a collapsed lung, two broken legs, multiple torn knee ligaments, two breaks in his arm, and fractured vertebrae.
A Brotherly Bond
Through surgery, doctors were able to successfully address the majority of his injuries, but it soon became clear that the road to recovery would be a lot longer than anyone anticipated. At this point, Dhon was not showing any major signs of consciousness, requiring constant medical support for breathing, nutrition, and personal care. Thankfully, in addition to having the support of hospital staff, Dhon had a family member who was ready to step in as a caretaker and advocate for him.
Duece Phaly, Dhon’s older brother, dropped everything to be a critical participant in Dhon’s medical journey. Before the accident, in addition to building a career as a coach and mentor, he acted as Dhon’s guardian and father figure. He feels that each responsibility gave him valuable skills that were essential for the new position he would assume in his brother’s life, sharing, “It’s almost like God prepared me for this journey.” That role became increasingly important as the pair began to embark on the next phase of Dhon’s recovery.
Next Steps
In May 2024, after two months in the hospital, Dhon was deemed fully medically stable. This meant that it was time to seek intensive rehabilitation for his traumatic brain injury, care that only a few medical centers across the country offer. Fortunately, one of these centers was close to their family in Nebraska, leading Dhon and Duece to pursue care at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals. Though this was the natural next step for Dhon, after several requests and appeals, Dhon’s insurance continually denied the claim. Disheartened, the pair sought care at a local group home. However, Duece spent several months relentlessly advocating for his brother to receive the best possible care, and finally, in January 2025, Dhon was approved to go to Madonna for his next steps.
A Window of Hope
The trip to Madonna significantly boosted Dhon’s progress in more ways than one. Most importantly, he received five times the individualized care that he was receiving before. This led to some really big wins on his journey to recovery, such as removing his tracheostomy tube, communicating more consistently with gestures, eating real food, and starting to get his voice back. The move also brought him closer to his immediate family, allowing them to visit more regularly and be more actively involved in his care.
All the while, his brother Duece continued to coordinate his care and actively participate in each rehab session. Just as the brothers would train together before Dhon’s accident, Duece continued to think of ways to push him while in rehab, thinking, “How can we increase our training? How can he get better?” And when Dhon wasn’t in rehab, he and Duece went to the movies or local sporting events and enjoyed many other fun ways to explore their new city.
After spending two months at Madonna, Dhon spent two additional months at another rehabilitation center, Quality Living Inc. (QLI), and is now resting at home. He plans to return to Madonna soon for outpatient rehab as he continues to the next phase of his recovery.
Community Support
Dhon’s whole journey up to this point has been greatly possible due to an amazing and supportive community of friends, family, and kind strangers eager to see Dhon recover. Duece shares that they feel blessed to have received this level of support.
“The support has been a testament to Dhon. Through his interactions at school, being out and about in the community, and helping at church, you just see that he’s the type of guy who is always going to make conversation with whoever walks in a room and make them feel empowered. We can feel the support for sure, and Dhon and I and this family would not be where we’re at, to be confidently in this position, without it.” -Duece
For the past 15 months, these supporters have kept up with Dhon’s journey through his blog #DhonStrong. There, Duece has continued to provide encouraging updates about Dhon’s medical journey and ongoing needs. To learn more about Dhon, Duece, and their inspiring story, visit https://www.dhonstrong.com/