As she returned to Wyoming, Theresa Pike repeated a single word: “Hallelujah.”

She is finally home.

Theresa returned Sunday afternoon, smiling brightly as she hugged friends and her dog, Charlie, who welcomed her at Yellowstone Regional Airport.

“It’s so good to be home again,” said Jim Pike, her husband.

“I am so thankful,” Theresa said Monday morning from her Powell home.

For the Pikes, it’s been a long journey.

In November, they left Powell and traveled to Cancun to celebrate the wedding of their son, Dustin, to his fiancée, Heather Bogus. But on the morning of the wedding, Theresa suffered a fall and massive brain hemorrhaging. She was rushed to a hospital in Cancun, where she underwent emergency surgery.

“It went from wedding to recovery in about five minutes,” Jim said.

With the wedding postponed and Theresa in the hospital, friends and relatives who had traveled to Mexico did whatever they could to support the family, Jim said.

“They were such a huge help,” Jim said. “When this happened, it kind of buckled my knees and everyone took over, especially the kids.”

The couple has three children, Dustin, Kelci and Erin.

The family struggled to get Theresa transferred out of the Mexican hospital and back to America, and had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to the Cancun facility before she was released.

Eventually she was flown to Houston Methodist in Texas, which Dustin called one of the best hospitals in the country. Theresa and Jim then spent nearly three months in Texas.

“She sure had some good people working with her down there,” Jim said.

Theresa focused on getting back home.

“Ever since she woke up [from a coma], she wanted to be back home in Powell, Wyoming,” Jim said.

The couple was on a flight into Cody on Saturday night, but the plane couldn’t land because of the weather conditions and went back to Denver. The Pikes awoke early Sunday to travel back to Wyoming.

“She was a trouper,” Jim said.

Throughout all of the challenges and recovery, Theresa has maintained a positive spirit and bright smile. Her family and friends often describe Theresa as a fighter.

She thanks God and is grateful for all of the support and love she has received.

“There are so many people who did so many things for us in this town, a lot of it anonymously,” Jim said.

An online fundraising effort through GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com/hmvwpk) has raised more than $56,000 since November. When recounting all of the ways people have shown support from all over the country  — through donations, phone calls, letters, cards and prayers — it’s overwhelming for the Pikes.

“Oh my gosh, thank you,” Theresa said, noting the support of her church, First United Methodist Church.

“It’s so much appreciated,” Jim said.

This weekend, Theresa and Jim will travel to Jackson Hole for the Wyoming Chive fundraiser. Proceeds from the ski and snowboard weekend will go to the Pike family.

As they settle into being back home, the Pikes will look at therapy options in the area.

Theresa’s speech is still limited, so she’ll need special therapy, Jim said.

“She’s been getting most of it back,” he said.

It isn’t the first time Theresa has faced life-threatening medical problems and rehabilitation. She suffered a massive stroke 27 years ago.

Since November, Theresa has often had to use a wheelchair, but she walked off the plane with Jim’s help. She has been using a cane at home.

“She walked into the house and has been getting around ever since,” Jim said.

‘Dancing in the Moonlight’

For months leading up to the November wedding, Theresa had been looking forward to dancing with Dustin at the wedding reception. She still hopes to do just that.

Dustin and Heather eloped in New York City on New Year’s Eve.

“After our original wedding plans were suddenly put on hold, we still wanted to end the year on a high note and start off 2015 as Mr. and Mrs. Pike,” Heather wrote in a Facebook post.

A big wedding celebration re-do is planned for later this year, Heather wrote.

The mother-son dance will be to “Dancing in the Moonlight”  by the band King Harvest, as Theresa and Dustin originally planned. One of the band’s members recently recorded a special message of encouragement for Theresa.

“When we read your story online, we thought we’d try to help in some little way,” Rod Novak said in the message. “Our hope is to see you fully recover and that you’ll soon be dancing in the moonlight at Dustin and Heather’s wedding.”

Theresa and Jim hope for that, too.

“It will be on our playlist,” Jim said.