You'd think that it would be a pretty special birthday for somebody who turns ten-years old on October 10, 2010 (10-10-10).  But for Catie Tropeano, the date is not the main reason her birthday is special.

Last March 13, Catie, along with her four siblings, was a passenger in an SUV driven by her mother, Daylene Tropeano, when the vehicle was rear-ended by another car on Route 25 on a rainy Saturday morning.

She and 11-year-old brother Ryan were treated at Tobey Hospital then rushed by MedFlight ambulance to Children's Hospital in Boston -- by ambulance rather than helicopter only because the weather kept copters grounded.

Others involved in the accident suffered only minor injuries, and Ryan was soon home with his family. But Catie's condition was touch-and-go for days.

Catie's injuries required 33 pints of blood, a 14-hour emergency surgery, and a month in an induced coma.  Today, she is back in the 4th grade at Minot Forest Elementary, and the scars and the loss-of-sensation in most of her right hand (she is just now able to feel things with her thumb) don't bother her a bit.

"I don't care," she said, getting up and showing off a skirt and short-sleeved shirt that she wore to school.

"All the kids see her scars all the time," Daylene said.  "She's not self-conscious at all."

Catie is more concentrated on trying to adapt to being only able to fully use one hand.

She has had to learn how to write with her left hand.  And she has taken a break from her piano lessons, but she started playing the violin with a special wrist contraption that has a velcro pocket to grip her bow.

"She's amazingly self-sufficient," Daylene said.  "She picks up things so fast...her doctors say she's very ingenious in 'cheating' and finding ways to do things with just one arm."

But while she can "cheat" around home and at school, she can't do that with her doctors...and she sees them a lot.

Catie has physical and occupational therapy a total of four days a week at Sandwich Rehabilitation Hospital.

"It's boring, I don't like it," Catie said.

She'd rather be with her friends at school, who sent cards, gifts, and held a dance and hat-day to benefit her and her family.

"It felt really nice," Catie said.  "We had bags and bags of cards to go through.  One friend sent a present every week."

As for the events of March 13, although father Patrick was the only family member not involved, the Tropeanos don't talk about it much.  And even after the terrifying accident, she said she's not afraid of going for rides in cars.

"The car has a t.v. in it," she said.  "That's a good car."