"She wants daddy to fix it. It's very hard for me. If we could save one more parent this emotional roller coaster, then what we do and what we sacrifice will all be worth it."

Emily knows she's in the hospital and recognizes her family's voices, but Bryant says she's often confused. They're taking things slow, trying to get an idea of her capabilities. It's too early to tell the effects of the brain damage, but she's moving her arms and legs a little bit these days.

More than one month after the life-changing night, Emily was transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann rehab hospital on Jan. 14. The family says they haven't heard Emily's prognosis yet, but they remain hopeful as the teenager tackles physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as living a new life.

Two weeks ago, Emily started eating solid food again. She even asked her sister for Ramen Noodles as they talked on the phone. "Even though they're such small steps for her, they're such giant steps of positivity," Harrison said.

Saving other kids from this

Bryant and his family are starting a nonprofit organization called Synthetic Awareness For Emily. Their goal with SAFE is to educate families, as well as teachers and doctors, about the dangers and warning signs of synthetic marijuana use. Bryant said he has filed the paper work and is waiting to hear from the federal government on reviewing their nonprofit application.

"That's why we want to let kids and parents know about the warnings signs: migraines and withdrawal," he said. "We all know the warning signs of alcohol and cocaine, but with this synthetic weed stuff, it's so new that nobody knows about this stuff. We want to let other parents know about this so they don't have to go what we've been going through."