In August 2022, Cody Bryant and Haley Woloshen met by chance while vacationing in Hawaii, sparking a connection that seemed like something straight out of a movie. Their relationship, however, took a dramatic turn when Bryant suffered a life-changing accident just a month later.
Bryant, 35, was on a trip with friends in Maui when he met Woloshen, 28, who was vacationing with her family. The pair discovered they both lived in Hermosa Beach, California. They spent the evening together, enjoying the ocean and a meteor shower. “We were like, ‘This is amazing. What a story,’” Bryant said.
Cody Bryant and Haley Woloshen smile during a hike. Photo from Instagram
Their budding romance was interrupted when Bryant traveled to Spain for a planned trip. On Sept. 6, 2022, while riding a moped in Ibiza, Bryant was struck by a car. He sustained a traumatic brain injury that left him in a coma, erasing many of his recent memories, including those with Woloshen. “I dropped him off at the airport and expected to pick him up again when he got back,” Woloshen said.
We were texting after he got there and then suddenly — nothing.”
Woloshen, unaware of the accident, was puzzled by Bryant’s sudden silence. So she checked on his social media and eventually discovered a GoFundMe campaign that spelled out just why she hadn’t heard back from Bryant. Realizing the severity of his condition, she reached out to his family, offering her support. “I expected to never see him again. If anything, I imagined with living in the same town we would run into each other at some point,” she said.
Bryant regained consciousness on Sept. 11, 2022, in a Spanish hospital, with his mother by his side. He returned to the United States on Oct. 11 and began intensive rehabilitation. When he finally was well enough to use his cell phone, Bryant found his old messages to Woloshen.
Despite his memory loss, he decided to reach out to her. “I saw all the messages I had sent to Haley and I was like, ‘Whoa, I must have liked this girl,’ ” he said. So he took a chance — and Woloshen laughed when she saw his text: “Hey,” he wrote, “sorry I missed your message.”
Cody Bryant walks during a hike. Bryant has began getting back to normal after spending time in a coma following a tragic accident. Photo from Instagram
However, as they started communicating daily, their relationship began to rekindle. “I knew this was so much bigger than a three-week fling,” she said. Bryant also overcame his own reservations about having her see him in an early state of healing, while he was partially paralyzed on his left side and missing some of his front teeth.
“Did I want to see her enough that I’ll risk her seeing me?” he said. “I was embarrassed, but I knew I wanted to and decided it was worth it to see her again.”
Woloshen said that “some of the feelings started to bubble up” as she drove him to and from therapy. The pair would spend hours together, rebuilding their relationship. By early 2023, their relationship had turned romantic once more. Despite the challenges, they were committed to each other. Bryant acknowledged the psychological difficulties, such as anxiety triggered by music and exhaustion from social interactions.
We had very open discussions about, ‘Do we realize what we’re signing up for?’” he said.
Woloshen, who Bryant’s sister Rachel describes as a “safe place,” helped him navigate this new phase of life. The couple attended a friend’s wedding in Guatemala in March 2023, where Bryant achieved a personal milestone by hiking to the summit of the Acatenango volcano.
Bryant continues to undergo therapy and rehabilitation, supported by contributions from the GoFundMe campaign. He has taken to social media, including a popular TikTok account, to raise awareness about traumatic brain injuries. “I can just be this new person,” he said.
And with embracing that new person, the couple is also embracing the new relationship they have forged. “Who knows if prior to everything happened, if we would’ve connected the way that we did,” she says. “It’s silver lining, I guess, in all of it.”
@codys.comeback 50 First Dates or make our own movie?🙊🤍 #dating #relationship #fyp #love #datingstorytime #recovery #girlfriend ♬ My Love Mine All Mine – Mitski
