Destre Shelley, mother of Tate Shelley, who received a traumatic brain injury in a freak accident on the last day of school in Cliff in May, told the Beat that, although Tate will be unable to play basketball this season, the prognosis from physicians is that he will achieve total recovery.

"Ninety percent of healing from a traumatic brain injury comes in the first year after the injury," Destre Shelley said. "We don't want him to receive any head injury during this first year."

Tate is taking one course this year and is continuing his recovery, after almost a month in University Hospital in El Paso, and about two months at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, Colo.

Here is the entire letter as written by the family:

October 5, 2011

Dearest Friends, Family, Churches, Businesses, Communities, Kind Acquaintances and Strangers,

We, the family of Tate Shelley, wish to sincerely thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts, for everything you did to support and uplift us during Tate's stay in the hospital and recovery from his accident. The blessings we received have been overwhelmingly abundant. We find it impossible to know and thank individually each wonderful person who prayed for us, loved us, sent cards and letters, called, visited, put on fundraisers, and worked so hard and donated so very generously to support our family during this time.

The outpouring of love, support and prayers we received on this journey has been unbelievable and has humbled us in a way that words can't describe. For them all, we are eternally grateful.  These gifts allowed us to focus our energies on nothing but Tate and his healing, without thought or worry about anything else. Your prayers sustained and kept us all uplifted, and provided us with an indescribable peace, regardless of the challenges we had to face.

We are overjoyed to tell you, that thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ and the support of all of our prayer warriors, Tate's recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. He is now completing his healing back home in Cliff, and his prognosis is for a full recovery with complete wholeness!!   We look forward to seeing him back on the basketball court during the 2012-2013 season!  

May our Lord and Savior bless, keep and touch all of you today. We continue to pray for His gifts of abundant blessings and love to be received by each and every one of you. Again, thank you for all the tears shed and prayers said for our family.

With Much Love,

Dale, Destre, Tate and Holt Shelley