Just hours after slipping into her wedding gown for a final fitting, Kristen, 34, was behind the wheel on a dark winter highway. A spinning car collided with hers, setting in motion a series of events that would erase her memory of one of the most important days of her life.
“I remember thinking we missed the car and that everything is fine,” Kristen, from Vancouver, Canada, told Newsweek. “But I looked over and the whole right side of my car was busted up and mangled.”
The crash left her with a traumatic brain injury that was not fully recognized until weeks later, despite clear signs of memory loss and disorientation. Kristen has since been diagnosed with a concussion, stroke, and brain atrophy—and she has no memory of her wedding day that followed the crash.
A video posted to Instagram in April by Kristen and her husband Troy (@tandkaythespectrumway) showed her standing in her wedding dress at the fitting, smiling. An overlaid text on the video read: “She doesn’t know it yet but after her final wedding dress fitting, a car will spin out on the highway, erasing her wedding day memories in an instant.”
The clip has since sparked widespread conversation and support among viewers.
The couple frequently share content about their experiences as a late-diagnosed couple with ADHD and autism. Their online presence began during the COVID-19 pandemic and has grown into a platform focused on autism awareness, particularly within relationships.
“There just wasn’t really a lot out there that talked about that specific dynamic,” Troy told Newsweek.
Kristen recalled how watching the reality show Love on the Spectrum led to her own diagnosis.
“I could totally relate to these people,” she said. “And then that’s kind of what started the journey of hyperfixating and discovering myself.”
After moving in together, she was officially diagnosed, and the couple began using their platform to help others understand what it means to be autistic in a neurodiverse partnership.
Navigating the Recovery With Autism
Following the crash, Kristen’s symptoms were immediate, but the medical response was not.
“The emergency doctor saw me and didn’t take it seriously,” she said. “They asked if I hit my head, and I said I didn’t remember.
“So they didn’t check my brain,” she added.
Kristen was sent home after cursory checks for her neck and stomach. The next day, she went to her bachelorette party—unaware that she was concussed.
The wedding and honeymoon went ahead as scheduled, largely due to the cost—a $50,000 investment—and lack of cancellation insurance.
“The morning of, there was literally no one setting up the wedding,” Kristen said. “I didn’t remember to get that going.”
Her bridal party handled the setup without her, and she got ready alone.
“Everything’s kind of a blur,” Kristen said. “I just knew I was marrying my man that day, and that was it.”
Kristen’s memory of the event remains fragmented.
“Our videographer gave us the entire raw footage,” she said. “It was the first time seeing it.
“I don’t remember my wedding, and that’s why I post videos—just so I can try to look back on it,” Kristen said.
The footage, and the outpouring of support it received online, has become an important part of her recovery.
“I was unmasked, but it wasn’t by choice,” Kristen said of how her autism and injury affected her demeanor. “I’ve never been more myself.”
The couple credits their unfiltered portrayal for being able to connect with others, especially parents of autistic children.
Kristen said she shares videos of her childhood to help parents understand their own kids, and that parents of autistic children that struggle to socialize may find reassurance in seeing her within a loving and fulfilling relationship.
“It really helps parents see that it’s not that we’re disabled, it’s that we’re different,” Kristen said.
Despite the love and support online, her road to recovery has been slow and complicated by insurance hurdles. Under British Columbia’s no-fault system, Kristen said, pain and suffering are not compensated.
“They pay for your treatment, but anything abnormal from standard—like a neuro—they won’t cover,” she said. “There has to be a point where the patient is believed.”
Recently, a CT scan revealed Kristen had suffered a stroke, likely as a result of her injury.
“I’ve been gaslit by my medical team for almost a year-and-a-half,” she said.
She also reported ongoing physical symptoms, including weakness on her left side and persistent speech difficulties.
Despite her ongoing symptoms, Kristen’s concerns were often minimized or attributed to anxiety. She said this dismissal by medical professionals may be tied to her autism diagnosis.
“People think that we feel things more sensitively, so it’s taking longer to recover,” Kristen said. “They keep trying to prove something else is going on.”
The couple is also navigating the emotional toll of Kristen’s recovery, alongside the medical hurdles. For one, the former business owner can no longer sing—her lifelong passion—due to throat blockages from the accident.
Despite this, Kristen continues creating social-media videos as a form of therapy and advocacy.
Troy, reflecting on the relationship, said Kristen’s acceptance of her autism diagnosis and how she has coped since the car accident have pushed him to be more emotionally open with his own feelings.
“You’ve really challenged me to be more honest and authentic,” Troy said.
Though the trauma has upended the beginning of their married lives, the couple continues to lean on each other—and their audience—for strength.
“Authenticity creates authenticity,” Kristen said. “When I’m authentic, it gives permission for other people to feel safe being themselves as well.”
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