RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. — 16-year-old Caleb Dulin's road to recovery has been long. He's overcoming the challenges of brain damage from the crash and is on track to find some normalcy.
His father, a High Point Officer, shares his gratitude towards the community with WFMY News 2 after his son survived a bad wreck last year.
The Dulin Family strongly believes that their faith, their strong sense of family and the overwhelming support of the community has helped Caleb heal the way he has.
It all happened on Halloween last year, a day Caleb doesn't remember but will never forget.
"But the day before it, I remember craving pumpkins or whatever," Caleb Dulin said.
According to state troopers, Caleb was driving down Finch Farm Road when he struck a culvert after crossing the center line and overturned. He was rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for two and a half months. Caleb was surrounded by loved ones the whole time, but he was unresponsive.
"I couldn't do anything, but after a little bit, I could see a little bit of light, a little bit of hope," Caleb Dulin said.
After coming to, Caleb had to relearn the basics, "I had to relearn how to blink my eyes and swallow; that was a big thing."
Before the crash, Caleb loved drawing, snowboarding, hunting, and fishing.
Hobbies he can't wait to get back to, but understands he still needs more time to heal, especially when it comes to hunting and fishing.
He joked, "My therapist said that I can't use guns or knives or whatever, so I ain't gonna,"
Caleb's father, David Dulin has worked for High Point Police for over two decades, "you know, in my line of work, you see a lot of bad things but that's the toughest thing I've ever dealt with," David Dulin said.
Although it was hard seeing his son like that, it opened his eyes to the amount of support around his family.
"It really shows you how a bad situation like that shows you how people care about you," David Dulin said.
Creating a sense of gratitude he will carry with him forever, "um... I'd just like to say I'm grateful. I'm thankful. I'm grateful for everybody's support and everybody that's loved us. I'm eternally grateful," David Dulin said.
Due to the crash, Caleb had to cut his 10th grade year short, he assures WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman that he will graduate on time with the rest of his class.
Just last month, he was greeted by classmates and teachers as he registered for 11th grade at Wheatmore High School.