Once upon a time, Jennifer Flewellen from Niles, Michigan, got into a bad car crash after dropping her three sons off at school. She ended up in a coma for almost five years.
But one day, her mom Peggy told her a joke in the hospital, and Jennifer laughed. It was the first time she laughed since the accident.
This made Peggy very happy. She felt like a door had opened, bringing her daughter back to her.
Jennifer, who is now 41, is working hard to talk and move again after waking up from the coma.
Her family started a fundraiser to help her get a van and make her home easier to live in.
Her doctor, Dr. Ralph Wang, says it’s very rare for someone to wake up from such a long coma and make good progress.
In October, Jennifer went to her son Julian’s football game. He was only 11 when she went into a coma, and having her there meant a lot to him.
Seeing his mom at the game helped Julian, and it also gave Jennifer more chances for therapy.
Even though Jennifer missed a lot while she was in a coma, her family supports her.
She was surprised to find out how much time had passed and how her sons had grown. But her family is there to help her move forward and not dwell on what she missed. Peggy visited Jennifer almost every day, even though Jennifer didn’t know she was there. She hoped her visits would help somehow. Peggy even played an audiobook about being in a coma for Jennifer to listen to.
At first, people didn’t think Jennifer would get better, but Peggy never gave up hope.
Now, Jennifer is making progress. She can make sounds and say some words. Her family got her a kitten named Huey to help her practice saying vowels.
Jennifer still needs help with many things, but her doctor is impressed with her progress. Her family is hopeful that she will keep improving and be able to do more things on her own.
Jennifer feels ready to take on the world again.