Kallie Ketchersid back in show ring after recovering from car crash

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Ropesville teen who was seriously injured in a car crash in March of 2022 was back in the livestock show ring on Sunday.

Kallie Ketchersid’s drive to get back to what she loves has left an impact on those closest to her.

“Kallie is my role model,” Kallie’s friend, Heather McNabb said. “She’s just such a superstar and so good to look up to.”

Her friends remind her every day that they adore her.

“You are my inspiration, Kallie,” Ava Grace Falls told Kallie. “I love you.”

Her friends may call her an inspiration, Kallie calls it determination.

“I’m so determined to get back to where I was,” Kallie said.

Kallie was airlifted from the scene of the crash in March. She’s healing from a stroke, a fractured pelvis, and a broken jaw.

Ten months later, she’s showing sheep and pigs at the Ropes Livestock Show, which she calls a second home.

“This is something I’ve always done since the third grade and no matter what, I always have my pigs in the barn and my sheep in the barn, and it’s a good release just to be there with them,” Kallie said.

Kallie’s mom, Keila Ketchersid, says her daughter has motivation and grit.

“She’s never asked, ‘What if I can’t,’ or ‘How am I going to?’ It’s just, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’” Keila said.

Kallie says it’s a little different this year because her physical endurance is not like it was. So, she had her brothers in the ring alongside her.

“My brothers have been a big part, and my parents, of helping me get back, because I can’t do all that I could last year,” Kallie said. “So, them really stepping up and helping has been awesome.”

She’s also thanking Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute for helping her come this far.

“They are a big part of why I’m here today,” Kallie said. “I had a walker in August, and they got me to a cane.”

She says ultimately, it’s her faith that got her back in the show barn.

“I couldn’t do it all without this community and God for sure, like God is the reason that I am here today, and I will give my testimony until the day that I die,” Kallie said.

“Each night we just lay everything at the feet of Jesus and take one day at a time,” Keila said.

KCBD asked Kallie if she was nervous to get back in the ring. She said that’s not her style.

“Here’s the thing, I never get nervous, I never have,” Kallie said. “So, I’m just going to go out there and do the best that I can, and if it is a rodeo, then it’s a rodeo - and I’m going to tell you it probably will be a rodeo.”

Defying her own odds, Kallie still won a prize showing her sheep.

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