US Woman Wakes Up From 5-Year Coma By Laughing At Her Mother's Joke

A woman from Michigan who was involved in a car accident back in September 2017, resulting in her being placed in an "irreversible coma," began her path to recovery just a few days ago. Jennifer Flewellen woke up laughing in response to her mother's joke on August 25, 2022. 

In an interview with People, Mrs Flewellen's mother Peggy Means, shared, "When she woke up, it scared me at first because she was laughing and she had never done that," Means tells PEOPLE. "Every dream came true. Today's the day I said, 'That door that was closed, that kept us apart, had just opened. We were back.'"

Mr Flewellen is working hard to regain her speech and mobility after being in a coma for 5 years.  A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help buy a handicap van and home remodels.

"She woke up, but she didn't completely. She couldn't speak, but she was nodding," Mrs Means, 60, told People. "She would still sleep a lot right at first, but then as the months would go by, she would get stronger and be more awake."

"This is so rare," Dr. Ralph Wang, her physician at Michigan's Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, tells PEOPLE. "Not just waking up, but making progress. Maybe 1-2% of patients wake up and make progress this far out."

Jennifer Flewellen also went to watch her son Julian's football game.

"She was my biggest supporter," says Julian, who was 11 when his mom fell into a coma. "So to have my biggest supporter back on the sidelines cheering me on, it was a surreal moment."

After news about her attending her son's football game, Mrs Flewellen was able to secure additional therapy through Mary Free Bed, a local rehabilitation hospital.

During her time in the hospital, Mrs Flewellen's mom stayed by her side.