'He's a miracle': Wisconsin 18-year-old returns to hospital to thank doctors, nurses
Doctors initially weren't sure if the Seymour man would survive, let alone talk or walk ever again
Doctors initially weren't sure if the Seymour man would survive, let alone talk or walk ever again
Doctors initially weren't sure if the Seymour man would survive, let alone talk or walk ever again
After a traumatic brain injury put a Seymour 18-year-old in a coma for weeks, doctors weren't sure if he would wake up, let alone talk or walk, ever again.
On Thursday, Max Rozmiarek walked into the Froedtert Surgical Intensive Care Unit as a line of doctors and nurses watched in awe. He requested to return to meet and thank the medical staff, which he said saved his life.
"Somehow, I survived. Thankfully, I survived. So thank you, guys," Rozmiarek told the medical staff.
"He's a miracle. We were given a miracle," said Becky Rozmiarek, Max's mom.
Rozmiarek and his mom returned for the first time in months after a workplace accident in May at Dan's Tire in Seymour, Wisconsin, changed Max's life forever.
"He was working on a machine, switching out a tire, and the machine didn't have a cage on it like it was supposed to. So the tire flew off the rim, and the rim hit him in the head," Becky said.
A helicopter emergency airlifted Max to Green Bay for brain surgery, then to Froedtert's Trauma Center.
"I didn't realize how severe it really was until they told us that Max may not live," Becky said.
"One of the big things we were very worried about initially for him was whether he would wake up and to what extent he would wake up," said Dr. Anu Elegbede, the Medical Director for the Froedtert Surgical Intensive Care Unit. "Would he be on a ventilator for the rest of his life, or would he require constant care for the rest of his life? But thankfully, Max woke up and started to give us signs that he was still in there and still fighting."
After 20 days in a coma, Max beat the odds and woke up. He spent a month at Froedtert, then two weeks ago, after weeks of rehab, he beat the odds again and walked unassisted for the first time.
"I don't think I would be here today how I am if I wasn't here treated by the right people at the right time. So I'm thankful for that," Max said.
"This is why we do what we do," Elegbede said. "This is just a miracle to witness."
He said it's his doctors, nurses and family that helped him get to this point. He's able to walk, to laugh, and to tell the team at Froedtert that he's grateful for them.
"To thank everyone, say hi to everyone. It's just a good feeling," Max said.
Before the accident, Max wanted to be a mechanic and had plans to start school this fall. He told WISN 12 News he has some healing ahead of him yet, but still wants to go to school for mechanics.
"He continues with his rehab journey. As has been mentioned, he's still having a little bit of trouble with gaining weight and with feeding. And so he had to have the feeding tube replaced for that reason," Elegbede said. "I think as long as he continues on this trajectory, working with our rehab partners and continuing to get strong, I think, honestly, the sky's the limit for his life. And I'm so happy to see that he has a lot of life left to live."