HOUSTON – One veteran who made an extraordinary effort to help first responders during Hurricane Harvey suffered a freak accident, falling off a ladder and falling into a coma after a traumatic brain injury.
We first showed you John Sanborn’s story a couple of months ago. Now, with the help of prayer and the community, his family said he is making strides to recovery. They celebrated his 51st birthday on Friday.
An army veteran who helped first responders during Hurricane Harvey is making strides of recovery after a freak accident put him in coma.
Ever since 18-year-old Bradley Sanborn could remember, his father, John, was his hero.
"He's always just wanting to help people -- not because he needs to. One time there was an accident on the street. The first thing he did was stop the car in the middle of the street to go help that person. It was crazy for me to see. I was just 8 years old," said Bradley.
John, is an Army veteran, and his family says he leads his children by example. During Hurricane Harvey, he had organized extraordinary efforts to feed hundreds of first responders.
"It was just crazy to see that he was able to go over there with no hesitation," Bradley said. "Of course, my mom didn't want him to go during Hurricane Harvey, but there we were on the road by ourselves heading to downtown."
KPRC first shared John's story when he was at Herman Memorial Hospital in a coma for just over a month in late March. For months, his three children and wife prayed for signs of cognizance. His wife, Norma, said in late February, they were getting ready for church, and John went outside to clean the gutters.
READ: Veteran who helped first responders during Hurricane Harvey now in a coma
"A woman came knocking at our door saying that he had fallen," Norma said.
They immediately called 911, and John was rushed to the hospital. His daughters Janine and Allison, and Bradley visited him often, many of them every day, though he was in a coma. Many members of the community came to support John at a fundraiser hosted by BBVA Compass and Levy Restaurants at BBVA Compass Stadium in April to help raise funds for the medical costs of keeping John in the hospital.
"My dad was the breadwinner for the family. He provided for all of us," said Janine.
Friday, John was met with smiles, balloons and two cakes. July 27 is his birthday.
"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" Janine said to her father, now looking at her from the hospital bed.
He knows who she is and can hear what she says.
"It's an amazing feeling because he's come a long way," Janine said.
Now, that he is out of the coma, glimpses of their father as he was before the accident fill them with happiness.
"We wanted to cry tears of joy," Janine said.
John started healing from multiple surgeries and began to go to physical therapy to start walking again.
"He's trying his hardest to do everything for his therapy," Norma said.
In June, Janine said, he started writing.
"We were shocked because we were just trying to see if he could write anything really. If he could hold a pen," Janine said.
He wrote, "Ja 9," the nickname for his daughter. He then went on to write all of his kids' names. One day, he wrote something that brought his wife to tears.
"Out of the blue he wrote, 'do not fear,'....'God is good' ... and even before his surgery he wrote, 'God must work well!'... and that tells me he's really keeping his faith too," Norma said.
It is a lesson in having faith that John is still teaching to his family and kids, even without words.
"When I see him progress like this -- it just teaches us how to be stronger and not give up," Norma said.
"My dad always brought us all up to be strong people," Bradley said. "Any type of strength--we're going to have it."
John is recovering from another brain surgery to return his bone flap, so he is recovering, but will return to therapy once he is healed. The family said they are so grateful for all the prayers and support for John. The family said with a long road for John to go, it really helps.
"It really means the world to us," Norma said. "God will always find a way."
The family set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical costs.