Adam receives congratulations from Amy Morse, CEO who told him he was New England Rehab's miracle patient.

Twenty-year-old Adam, from Kezar Falls, was home from theology school and working for a concrete company. On October 13, 2004, on the way home from work, he was in a motor vehicle accident that caused severe multitrauma, including an aortic tear, traumatic brain injury and anoxic encephalopathy caused by a cardiac arrest after his accident. He was at Maine Medical Center from October through December 2004. He required respiratory support and along with multitrauma, was treated for DVT, recurrent pneumonia and he required a gastrostomy tube for nutrition.

Upon admission to New England Rehab Hospital, in December 2004, Adam required one-to-one supervision for safety secondary to poor cognition and insight, restlessness, agitation, in-coordination and to maintain his airway and feeding tubes. All disciplines, including nursing, worked together to provide behavior modification and to improve Adam's ability to understand spoken language and follow commands. With physical and occupations therapies, Adam returned to ambulation with supervision, gradually became more able to dress and bath himself.

Adam was discharged to outpatient in March of 2005. The focus of his therapy was to improve balance, gait and coordination, improve attention, memory and social interactions, learn to use a daily planner, topographical orientation, money management, community re-entry and skill development for leisure activities. Adam's last outpatient visit was April 17, 2006 where he was given a farewell party from a full staff of New England Rehab Hospital well-wishers.

Today Adam is independent in a controlled environment and he attends a rehab day school program. He actively participates in karate, having achieved his purple belt, and Maine Handicapped Skiing. He enjoys family events, he is learning to play the guitar and best of all, his sense of humor has returned.