And while his life still isn’t quite the same as it was before May 27, 2022, it's closer than ever.
That day last year, the 28-year-old from Overland Park, Kansas, was traveling from Stockton, Missouri, back to Kansas City when he lost control of his car. About 20 days later, Weaver woke up hundreds of miles away at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln.
Weaver suffered from a traumatic brain injury, making it difficult for him to walk, talk and use his arms. This inhibited his ability to do some of the things he loves the most: write and perform slam poetry.
He quickly began focusing on his rehabilitation, steadily gaining control of his arms and legs, leaving behind his wheelchair and working to regain his voice.
Tongue twisters became a big part of his therapy, and it wasn’t long before he began writing his own.
“Pioneering princesses poised to pirouette precisely around pompous profiteering pirates,†was the first twister he wrote while at Madonna — try saying that three times fast.
This tongue twister is now one of hundreds that form a challenging card game created entirely by Weaver. “Word Whizzes†is played best with four to five players, he said, and consists of a deck of cards, each containing a unique tongue twister he wrote.
Players can challenge one another to a battle — whoever says the phrase on the back of the card a certain number of times in a row without any mess-ups wins. If both come out free of stutters or mispronunciations, it’s simply a draw.
While the game could be played by anyone, it’s intended for those working through speech therapy, whether it’s because of an accident like Weaver's or because of something like a speech impediment.
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The tricky sayings and required repetition helped Weaver regain his voice, so now he hopes they will help others the same way.
Even though it took him months to complete, Weaver is really happy with the turnout.
"There were a lot of steps," he said. "A lot of wondering if I would be able to do it, if it would ever actually get done."
Weaver returned to Lincoln to visit his care team at Madonna on Tuesday afternoon, including his speech pathologist, Rachel Lindstedt. After a tearful, yet happy, reunion, the group sat down to play Weaver’s game together for the first time.
“It was very cool, very cool,†Lindstedt said. “Just seeing his progress and thinking about where he started and where he is now and what he's accomplished, overcoming such a major event, major trauma in his life — that's pretty amazing.â€
“Word Whizzes†isn’t yet available to purchase, but Weaver hopes it will be someday soon. A copy of the game will be donated to Madonna once it is officially manufactured.
It’s been more than a year since Weaver came to Lincoln for the first time in his life, and he continues to look back fondly on his time at Madonna — and on the people who played a role in his recovery.
Without them, he said, he wouldn’t have been able to walk through the doors again, read another poem or say any of his tongue twisters. All things he wasn’t sure if he’d ever do again.
“Most days, I believed I would get back to what I was doing,†he said. “But there were, of course, many days spread throughout where I'd sit alone in my room and wonder how much longer, or if I’d ever make it back.â€
Weaver left Madonna after more than 20 days and continues to work on rehabilitation.
Two days after leaving Lincoln and Madonna behind at the beginning of July 2022, Weaver found himself back on a stage in Missouri. For the first time since his accident, he performed in front of a crowd of people, tears streaming down his face.
He chose to perform a poem he wrote called “Different,†ending with this line:
“The old me, his story is done. Now, get ready for my story. Because 1, 2, 3, 4, it has begun.â€
Noah Weaver of Kansas City (from left), who was previously injured in a car crash requiring him to be in the hospital, demonstrates a tongue-twisting card game inspired by his time in therapy with recreation therapist Kristin Luethke, occupational therapist Jessica Virgil, physical therapist Karen Eilers and speech pathologist Rachel Lindstedt, at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals.
Noah Weaver (back to camera) talks with occupational therapist Jessica Virgil (from left), physical therapist Karen Eilers and speech pathologist Rachel Lindstedt on Tuesday at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals.
Noah Weaver of Kansas City, who was previously injured in a car crash requiring him to be in the hospital, hugs speech pathologist Rachel Lindstedt as physical therapist Karen Eilers looks on Tuesday at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals.