As December turned into January and the new year began, Lexi continued her amazing recovery. Since she had been in a coma for so long, she was essentially a newborn baby and would have to relearn how to do everything.
Julie asked, "How should we teach her how to do things again?"
The doctor answered, "Keep jogging her memory with familiar things, places and people. It will come in time. But it shouldn't take her as long to relearn things as it did for her to learn how to do them in the first place. Her brain already knows how, but it's just a little scrambled from being in a coma for so long. And Lexi does have one major advantage."
"What would that be?" asked Matt.
"Well, she's only three years old. Almost four. She's still young. Young children's brains are still developing, so they're flexible enough to recover from trauma like that."
"That's really good news," said Julie, relieved that Lexi was going to be back to her old self eventually.
Matt, Julie, Lily and Landon all helped jog Lexi's memory. Lily picked up a copy of Dr. Suess's ABC and said, "Lexi, the thing I'm holding is called a book. We read books to hear fun stories."
Landon said, "And Lexi, this small, round object is called a ball. We bounce it to each other and play a fun game."
Matt said, "Lexi, this is called a bed. We sleep in it at night."
Julie said, "And look, Lexi. This is called a chair. We sit in it."
And so it went. Although Lexi still hadn't learned how to talk yet, she began communicating by shaking and nodding her head. This was a bit difficult, as it meant they could only ask her yes or no questions. Despite the challenges, Lexi was a fast learner.
One day, Lily asked Lexi, "Do you know what we do with a book?" Lexi nodded. Lily handed Lexi the book and Lexi opened it and started flipping through the pages. That same afternoon, Lexi tried to speak, but couldn't quite get words out. They were still pleased with her, because she at least tried.
Soon, on the nineteenth of January, it was Matt and Lexi's birthday. The celebration was huge, because Lexi was back and slowly returning to her old self.
When Julie brought the cake out, Landon said, "Lexi, this is birthday cake. You're four years old now. Look at the fork. Do you remember what we do with a fork?" Lexi nodded and started eating the cake with it.
"Yay, Lexi!" said Lily.
"Good girl!" said Julie.
A few days later, Lily showed Lexi Teddy's rubber ball and said, "Do you remember what we do with a ball, Lexi?" Lexi nodded.
"Show Lily," said Landon, who was in the middle of a chest therapy session. Lexi threw the ball down. Teddy looked at it and went back to sleep, too old and tired to chase a ball like he once had.
"All right!" said Lily. "And you see Teddy? Do you remember what kind of animal he is?"
Lexi nodded and opened her mouth, trying to speak again. This time, she said, "Doggy."
Matt said, "Lexi, you just said a word!"
"All right, Lexi!" said Julie.
"Yay!" said Lily and Landon. That first word was huge. They knew that if she could say one word normally, she would eventually say more.
Lexi learning how to speak again sped up the relearning process greatly. Soon she was chattering nonstop, showing off all that she had relearned and wanting to know everything that she hadn't yet relearned.
Lexi looked at Teddy, who was sleeping, and said, "Do I like dogs?"
"Yes," said Matt. "You love dogs."
"Good," said Lexi, who reached down and started petting Teddy, who started wagging his tail like crazy.
***
By the middle of February, Lexi was almost completely back to her old self. She still could not yet walk, however, and was in a wheelchair most of the time. She would often try to stand up and walk, but would sit back in the wheelchair again almost instantly every time.
One day, at dinner, Matt told the family that he was considering retiring due to his recent rash of injuries. "With the injuries I've had in the last four years, at the rate I'm going, I'll probably wind up with more stitches than touchdown passes," he grumbled.
"So you think you're ready to retire?" asked Julie.
"Yes, I think so."
"Well, it's your decision," said Julie.
Matt walked into the family room and saw Lexi once again trying to get up and walk. After she sat back down, she said, "Hi, Daddy."
"Hi, Lexi."
"Daddy," said Lexi, "I'll never learn how to walk again. I try all the time, but if I try to get up I feel all dizzy and unsteady."
Matt thought about what Lexi was saying. He told her about his problem with making the decision about whether or not to retire.
"Looks like we both have problems," said Lexi.
"That's right," said Matt. "Lexi, let me tell you something. The only way you will ever learn how to walk again is by walking. If you constantly sit in your wheelchair to avoid getting dizzy and unsteady, you'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. But if you keep trying and walk despite the dizziness, then the dizziness will eventually stop. You need to walk to learn how to walk again."
"Like you and your hurt knee?" asked Lexi seriously.
Matt knew she was right. He thought, If Lexi can come back from the brink of death, if she can battle back and continue to struggle and continue to fight, then I should continue to fight. He looked at Lexi and told her, "Yes, Lexi. You know what? I think I'll give it one more year. We'll get back on track together."
