Jennifer Flewellen was never expected to wake up from her coma after she suffered a brain injury from a car accident in September 2017. During her period of comatose, she missed the Senior Nights of her two older sons, WNDU reported.
But Flewellen, who doctors called a living miracle when she woke up after four years and 11 months, made her youngest son’s Senior Night on October 20 a memorable one as she returned to the sidelines to cheer him on.
“Nobody expected her to wake up,” Flewellen’s mother, Peggy Means, said. “We were told all along that she has anoxia and that the brain damage, she’ll never wake up, but you never say never.”
Flewellen’s son Julian represented the Niles High School football team when they took on Paw Paw. Besides defeating them 56-18, Julian scored three touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards – making it the perfect icing on the cake.
“She started them in football when they were in Rocket football, and she said, I don’t want my kids on the streets; I want them in sports,” Means said. “And she really pushed them, and she was a big screamer. Everybody that knew Jenn, she was very loud. They (her kids) used to say; I couldn’t even hear my coach, Mom; you were louder than the coach.”
“Just having the opportunity to have her here to support him and letting everyone know that she is thriving and she’s continuing to get better, and we’re just still in shock that it’s even possible that she’s here,” Sara Macon, who is Flewellen’s friend, added.
Flewellen woke up from her coma on August 25, 2022, and she is being cared for by her mother at home. “And I think what’s been a driving force is being able to watch her kids, but really, her mom has been with her,” Macon told WNDU.
“Her mom has been an incredible caretaker and has been with her every single day since her accident, and has been determined to get her home, and after six years, she’s finally back home.”
At the time of this report, Flewellen’s family expressed their desire to take her to the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids for further treatment.
