ADENA - Josh Grim's family welcomed him home yesterday and months sooner than anyone dared to hope. According to family and doctors, the Buckeye Local senior has made a near-miraculous recovery after a devastating accident earlier this month.
"The doctors told me it was pretty much a miracle that he's here," said Lori Kerwood, Grim's mother.
She said he was hospitalized April 16, having been lifeflighted to Pittsburgh after being struck by a car. He had been crossing the street on Rose Valley Road near the intersection of Blairmont Road in the Adena area.
"I had talked to someone who was on the scene and they said they didn't even think he'd make the lifeflight," she said. "For the first five or six days it was touch and go."
However, he has made a stunning recovery at a pace his doctors had not suspected.
"The doctors are surprised at how well he's done and how quick he's coming back," Kerwood said, adding that his rehabilitation began April 27 at Mercy Hospital. He was released and will continue outpatient rehabilitation. "They say he will never be 100 percent, but you would never know it if you didn't already know him."
Kerwood added that Grim still suffers memory loss and related issues, but he seems to have settled into home life with little need for adjustments.
"He seems to be all right. He has a lot of medicine he brought home," Kerwood said, adding that he will have a home health nurse to change his bandages. "On his left forearm the wound is clear to bone. He may need a skin graft."
Grim suffered from brain swelling. Kerwood said three holes were drilled into his skull to drain and to monitor the progress.
"He was on life support for eight days," she said, adding that he began to recover quickly. "They said he would be here six months."
He will continue to take blood pressure pills, as well as pain pills for left arm.
"He can walk and talk and read, and his right arm is good," said Kerwood. "It broke every bone in his face. He didn't need plastic surgery. He looks the same as he did before, just a little bit skinnier."
He will likely undergo a year of therapy and continue to visit Pittsburgh to see specialists. He should be able to continue his education.
She added that Grim still has some difficulty with quick judgment calls and may overlook common decisions.
"They say he might not remember to look both ways before crossing the street," she said. "The doctors said it's like shaken baby syndrome. He gets a little mixed up and confused."
She added that his quick recovery is a source of hope.
"He's a pretty strong kid. A pretty active kid. His friends were really good about seeing him when he was on life support. He's got really good friends," she said. "He's been getting a lot of support from the community."
DeFrank can be reached at rdefrank@timesleaderonline.com
