A 13-year-old Alabama kid recovered consciousness after being pronounced brain-dead is nothing less than a miracle.
Trenton McKinley was riding on a tiny trailer towed by a dune buggy outside a friend’s house in March when his pal abruptly slammed the brakes, inverting the trailer and tossing McKinley to the ground. He was transported to the hospital for emergency surgery after suffering seven skull fractures.
Jennifer Reindl, his mother, said that he was dead for 15 minutes. When he returned, they claimed he’d never be normal again and that if he even made it, he’d be a vegetable.
Several days after the tragedy, Reindl and McKinley’s dad made the tough choice to withdraw their son off life support and sign documents authorizing organ donation. McKinley began exhibiting indications of brain activity only one day before they were supposed to say their last goodbyes, his mother reported on a Facebook page dedicated to his rehabilitation. His hand moved, followed by his feet.
McKinley has made an incredible comeback since then, telling that he thinks he was in paradise while his body was on life support.
There is no other explanation beyond God, he said. There is no other option. Even the doctors said so.
McKinley has had three brain operations since the tragedy, and while he has made significant improvement, he still has a long way to go in his rehabilitation. He’s dropped 50 pounds, has nerve pain and seizures, and is now missing half of his skull, which will be reattached in a future operation.
