It all began with a simple joke — a miraculous recovery that changed Jennifer Flewellen’s life.
A mother’s love has a powerful impact on her children’s emotional and physical health recovery. Studies show that emotional support from a loving mother can significantly contribute to a child’s overall well-being.
Jennifer, from Niles, Michigan, was in a coma for nearly five years due to a car crash after dropping her three young sons off at school.
However, a moment of laughter sparked her awakening.
Jennifer’s mother, Peggy Means, shared a joke with her daughter in the hospital, and to everyone’s amazement, Jennifer laughed.
“When she woke up, it scared me at first because she was laughing, and she had never done that,” Peggy said.
“Every dream came true. Today’s the day I said, ‘That door that was closed that kept us apart had just opened. We were back,’” she added.
Peggy describes the moment as the opening of a door that had kept them apart for so long. The breakthrough in August 2022 marked the beginning of Jennifer’s challenging journey towards recovery.
Facing the aftermath of the coma, Jennifer, now 41, is determined to regain her speech and mobility.
A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to support her with a handicapped van and home modifications.
Dr. Ralph Wang, Jennifer’s physician at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Michigan, expresses the rarity of such progress.
“This is so rare,” Dr. Wang said, adding that only a tiny percentage of patients wake up and make substantial progress after such a long period.
Jennifer achieved another milestone in October by participating in a senior night football celebration with her youngest son, Julian, at Niles High School.
“She was my biggest supporter,” Julian, who was 11 when his mother fell into a coma, said, describing the surreal moment of having his biggest supporter back on the sidelines.
The news of Jennifer attending her son’s football game brought additional therapy opportunities through a local rehabilitation hospital, Mary Free Bed.
In a video interview, an animated Jennifer, though only able to string a few words together, nods and expresses herself from her rehabilitation hospital bed.
Jennifer’s nightmare-turned-miracle began with a typical morning in 2017, leading to a car crash that left her in a coma for nearly five years.
Peggy, who recently retired, stood by her daughter’s side, visiting almost every day, hoping for a response.
When the awakening finally occurred, Peggy recorded the moment and shared it with family and friends.
Jennifer’s realization of the time she missed and the changes in her sons’ lives was an emotional journey, but her family remains supportive.
“I told her I was Juju, and her eyes lit up like, ‘Wow, it’s my Juju bean,’” Julian says, noting his nickname. “But it broke her heart when she found out our ages and things like that. She started to cry.”
Julian shares how it wasn’t simple for his mom to discover he was a junior. At the same time, his brothers Skylar, 21, and Daeton, 19, had already finished high school.
“We’ve talked about the time that she’s missed, and we try not to because it makes her upset,” Julian explains.
“But my grandma always tells her, ‘You can’t sit here and be sad because being sad is not going to get you moving forward.’”
Courtesy of Peggy Means
Jennifer wasn’t aware of her mom’s almost daily visits during her recovery.
Still, Peggy played an audiobook about a woman in a coma, describing it as a euphoric, peaceful, and calming place.
“Jenn cried and said that’s how she felt, so that was nice to know,” Peggy shares, adding that there were times she wanted to believe her daughter knew she was there, but something just told her this was what she’s got to do.
Initially, many friends and family doubted Peggy when she mentioned her daughter’s recovery.
Moreover, even the hospital staff didn’t anticipate Jennifer progressing beyond waking up.
“I asked for therapy, and they thought I was crazy, but she got speech therapy,” says Peggy.
“You have to be a strong advocate,” she adds.
In the beginning, Jennifer couldn’t make a sound, but with the help of a little whistle, she managed to bring air up.
The next milestone was mastering vowels. Last Christmas, while still in the hospital, Peggy gave Jennifer a kitty named Huey “because it was vowels,” Peggy says with a smile, echoed by her daughter.
This marks the start of Jennifer’s new post-coma life, thanks to Peggy’s mother’s love.
Though she still requires assistance in “almost everything,” Dr. Wang mentions that she’s already surpassed expectations.
The doctor says it would be a massive win if Jennifer could take a few steps, feed herself, and talk more.
“Both she and her mom are wonderfully driven. If she was a 10 in six months before, can we get her to a four or five? That would be tremendous.”
Through mother’s love, Peggy firmly believes her daughter, whose family initiated a GoFundMe to cover recovery expenses, will soon be walking and catching up on lost time with her boys.
Jennifer even confidently replies, “I am,” when told she looks ready to take on the world.
Watch Jennifer’s miracoulous recovery through her mother’s love below: