Everyday Student: Lynley Eller

Sophomore Lynley Eller experiences a miracle and a community of connection

By Hannah Diles |

Why Harding? Lynley Eller, a sophomore from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, found home when she came to visit campus in 2019. Eller wanted to find a community that cared for her well-being and in which she could also invest herself.

“I found out about Harding from a friend and thought I’d look into it. During Trustee Scholar Weekend I got to tour Harding, and everything was awesome. I didn’t want to go to some big school where nobody would know who I was. I wanted to go to Harding where I could know everyone, and everyone could know me in an intentional way.”

Beating the Odds In Fall 2021, Eller went home for Thanksgiving, and following a church event in her hometown, she was in a serious automobile accident in which she hydroplaned into oncoming traffic. She sustained life-threatening injuries, and her doctors believed she would not survive to see the next day.

“Luckily, that is not where God left me. The first night I was in the hospital, they told my parents, ‘Go home. She’s not going to live.’ But the next day I did survive. The doctors told me that I wouldn’t leave the hospital bed for a month at best, but I moved to inpatient rehab by mid-December. Then they told me, ‘You’re not going to open your hand, talk or walk until June at best.’ Every time the doctors said something like that, my mom, without my knowledge, would send out a Facebook notification asking friends and family to pray that I could open my hand, run or even jump, and the very next day I would do it. It doesn’t make sense outside of God’s glory.”

Connection While on the road to recovery, Eller considered what her future would hold after her accident. She made it her goal to return to Harding because of the support and connection provided for her.

“Although it’s been hard readjusting to school, it’s been so rewarding and a blessing to my soul. I am retaking classes, and the workload, although less than ever, has been really hard because I don’t remember how to study. But I knew that I just had to come back because I need and love this community so much.”

Inspired Purpose Eller is studying communication sciences and disorders so she can work with children who need speech therapy. After her accident, her passion only intensified. She wants to aid young adults who have experienced accidents similar to hers.

Words of Wisdom “One of the biggest pieces of hope I could give someone who is going through a hard time is to give your burdens and your hardships to God who can help you with anything. Just lean on him every second of your life because life is hard, but it can be outrageously rewarding when you live your life for and through Christ.”