A Metrolink crash survivor’s struggle

Caregiver Laura Hull, right, checks her watch as Racheal Mofya, 27, lies down for a nap with her CD player, which is playing gospel music. Mofya, an exchange student from Zambia, had been living at Pat and Joanne Abruzzese’s Simi Valley home for a year when she was seriously injured in the crash of Metrolink 111 on Sept. 12, 2008. The Abruzzese family has been helping Mofya with her recovery. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 1 PM PT

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Racheal Mofya, who was severely injured in the 2008 train crash, faces many months of mental and physical rehabilitation. She may never fully recover.

Martha Mofya, right, and her sister Racheal Mofya at the Abruzzeses’ home. Martha is visiting from Minnesota. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Martha Mofya, left, helps comb a new wig on Racheal. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Racheal Mofya leafs through current and vintage magazines at the Abruzzeses home. Both Pat and Joanne hold full-time jobs, so theyve enlisted help from paid aides, therapists and friends. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Joanne Abruzzese, left, puts eye drops in Racheal’s eyes as daughter Jaime, 21, watches. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Racheal strains to read an article about her and the aftermath of the crash of Metrolink 111. If she is angered by what happened to her, she doesnt let it show. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Racheal eats dinner in the Abruzzeses’ Simi Valley home. Her doctors say it will take up to a year to determine how much permanent brain damage she suffered. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)