CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. (CNN) - Seven-year-old Mya Bartlett doesn't like to talk about the accident that fractured her skull and left her with traumatic brain damage. It happened on April 8, 2010.
She was kicking a soccer ball, fell backward, and hit her head. The Hello Kitty ponytail holder she was wearing damaged her fragile skull.
"As the doctors said, it was as if she had a rock and a knife in her head when she fell. The rock was the plastic, and the corners and edges acted as a knife," said Mya's mother, Tristen Waters.
Waters thought it was a freak accident, but after doing some research, she learned that injuries from hair accessories are fairly common, especially for girls who are very active.
Now Mya and her sister, Kyra, are turning an injury into an investment. They are making and selling safe hair accessories.
"They got no plastic and no metal," said Mya of her accessories. She and Kyra design and sew the bows themselves, with a little help from Mom.
Waters said Mya struggles with ADD, ADHD, and memory loss among other things, as a result of the injury, but she's proud that her girls are helping to prevent similar problems, one hair bow at a time.
"The product that they are making is going to save lives. And because the product their making is saving lives, they are saving the world."
The girls used the money they made from the bows and bands to pay for summer camp.
Now they are deciding what charity to help out with the rest of the money they made.
