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Recent Lumpkin graduate Nikoli Smith (right) is now in the first stages of a long recovery after a motorcycle accident left the high school senior fighting for his life just weeks before graduation. Chorus director Tee Smith said he's always known Nikoli for his determination and says that determination will now be more important than ever.
One minute, Nikoli Smith was two weeks from graduating high school and setting his sights on the next step, continuing his education and singing career at the University of Georgia.
And then, in an instant, the focus became surviving to be able to take a literal next step.
A May 15 motorcycle accident on Long Branch Road left Smith fighting for his life. His dad, David Smith, still can’t bear to watch the video.
“When the troopers came over to talk to me they had a video and I said I have no desire to see it,” David said.
However, at first the accident didn’t seem life-threatening.
“I got a call from the Georgia State Patrol and he said my son had been in a motorcycle accident. Basically they said it looks like his arm is broken, so it was bad but it wasn’t at all like in reality it was when we got there.”
What was first reported to David as just a broken arm quickly turned into worse.
“We got to the hospital and then circumstances changed a lot. It wasn’t just a broken arm, it was a lot of internal injuries,” he said.
Since arriving at the hospital, David said Nikoli has endured three operations.
“[He] lost a kidney, lost his spleen. He had to have his hip operated on, his arm operated on,” David said. “…Sunday was three weeks and he’s still in ICU….It was so bad that they actually had to do a surgery to remove his kidney in the hospital room. They didn't even get a chance to take him down, they did it right there.”
Now, after over three weeks at the hospital, Nikoli is finally starting on the long path to recovery.
SINGING STANDOUT
LCHS Chorus director Tee Smith, who is not technically related to Nikoli, but says they’ve ‘adopted’ him as their own, said that his determination was the first thing he learned about Nikoli, back when he was in ninth grade.
“He was a really sweet kid with a lot of potential,” Tee said of his first impressions of Nikoli when they met. “I can honestly tell you in ninth grade I never would’ve guessed that he would’ve been my best singer his senior year. But he really wanted to get better and he put in the work.”
Nikoli went on to become a star member of Tee’s chorus at the high school, eventually winning state as the chorus soloist as a senior.
“This year, he was very determined and won region and also won state in his senior year,” Tee said. “It’s a story of, if you want something bad enough, you just have to work hard.”
Now, it’s this same determination that helped him earn scholarships to UGA for his chorus work over the years that will be the driving force to recovery.
“He’s getting better but it’s just going to take a while,” his stepmother Mary Smith said. “He’s very determined and that’s what it’s going to take.”
His father said Nikoli remained positive through it all so far.
“He’s still positive,” David said. “He knows there’s going to be a lot of rehab and obviously we told him that we’d be there all the way with him. It’s kind of sad that he didn’t get to enjoy everything as far as graduation, but this is something he’ll have the rest of his life.”
Nikoli’s stepmother was escorted by Tee at graduation to receive his diploma in a moment filled with emotions.
“I talked to the principal at the high school and they asked if I would walk up and accept his awards,” she said. “He was an honor graduate, his diploma and everything.”
Mary said it was tough to get through.
“It was really hard for me, but he had so much support from the kids,” she said. “There was a standing ovation and everything. It was emotional for me, but I did it.”
David hopes he can see his son walk on UGA’s campus again this fall.
“That’s my goal, when I talk to the doctors and surgeons I want him to get better and all that but my goal is for Nikoli to be able in the fall to be able to walk on the campus in Athens,” he said. “If I can get him through that, because he has worked so hard to get there. He’s a very determined young man.”
CARING COMMUNITY
Nikoli’s parents said the thing that has helped them through this the most is the care they’ve received from the community, especially their new church family at Dahlonega United Methodist Church and his fellow students.
“It’s just overwhelming, it makes me cry but it’s tears of joy that he’s that well known and liked,” Mary said. “They’re pulling for him. I’ve seen cars that say ‘Pray for Nikoli’ all over the place. That’s the first thing I saw when I went up to the school to accept those awards. ‘Praying for Nikoli’ all on people’s cars.”
David said it’s been touching to see how many people care so deeply about Nikoli.
“To me, to see how many lives Nikoli has touched, that’ll make any father proud,” he said.
Mary said she’s grateful to everyone who has prayed and helped out.
“I’d just like to say thank you for everything that the community has done, all the cards, prayers, texts,” she said. “It’s overwhelming. People that I don’t even know. He’s getting cards every day, people are calling and asking how he is. They’re just pulling for Nikoli. Everyone’s praying for Nikoli.”