Days before Christmas, Jacob was in a horrific car accident with his mother that nearly took his life. Sadly, his mom did not survive. Emergency responders resuscitated him at the scene before transporting him to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department in critical condition. His injuries included a severe brain injury, multiple fractures to his legs, arms and pelvis, and significant organ damage to his liver, heart, and kidneys.

When he arrived as a trauma patient, Allan Greissman, MD, a pediatric critical care medicine specialist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, was part of the heroic team of pediatric specialists that first responded to him.

Due to the severity of his injuries, no one thought he would survive. A team of over 40 doctors, led by Tamar Levene, MD, associate program director of Pediatric General Surgery at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, worked around the clock. Jacob spent hours undergoing multiple surgeries, including controlling bleeding blood vessels, repairing fractured bones, and treating wounds to his heart, chest, and abdomen.

At one point, due to the severe injury to his liver, he had to have heart surgery to direct some of the blood from his liver to bypass and go directly to his heart. His kidneys also stopped working and he had to receive dialysis. He took a turn for the worse and slipped into a traumatic coma.

"I remember talking to the family about my biggest concern being his brain,” said Dr. Greissman. "When we finally got him off the ventilator, we [were relieved because] we started seeing him move and follow commands."

Jacob defied the odds. He woke up and began an incredible journey of healing. Slowly, he started pediatric inpatient rehabilitation with physical therapy in his hospital bed, and eventually moved to the hospital’s state-of-the-art pediatric rehabilitation room. With intensive physical, speech-language, and occupational therapy, he relearned to walk and regained his ability to speak. Jacob’s determination and progress became a testament to the resilience fostered by the hospital’s trauma and rehabilitation teams.

"That was the breaking point,” said Maria Ortiz, PT, physical therapist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “We knew he would do very good in recovery because he was happy and playing. Our initial goal was wheelchair mobility. We didn’t expect him to walk, but now he’s able to go up and down the stairs and do everything."

“He’s exceeded our expectations,” said Haley Glenum, SLP, speech-language pathologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “He’s talking and his family was able to enjoy a meal together. That was honestly one of the most encouraging and inspiring moments.”

After being in the hospital for two months, Jacob was finally able to go home. Today, he’s an active, joyful 10-year-old entering fifth grade. He’s no longer in rehab, and doing everything a kid his age should, like camping and fishing. When he grows up, Jacob wants to be a doctor or firefighter so he can help others the way he was helped.