- Last summer, Brett Jedwabny, now 16, almost died after a tire exploded, sending debris into his brain
- Although the prognosis was initially grim, over the next 10 months, Brett slowly recovered — and now he’s back home and looking forward to going back to school
- “Watching your son make the strides that he’s made, proves that you can’t really have a bad day,” his proud dad tells PEOPLE
Almost a year after their teenage son suffered a traumatic brain injury, the boy’s family is looking back on the terrifying accident — and preparing for what’s next.
Brett Jedwabny, then 15, was helping power wash his family’s home in Appleton, Wisc., on July 9, 2024, when he began cleaning the cart that was holding the equipment. The tire exploded, cracking his eye socket and sending debris into his brain, which took out part of his right frontal lobe. His mom Nicole immediately called for help.
“She was just screaming, ‘He’s gone. He’s dead. His brains are all over,’ ” says her husband Tyler, a 44-year-old real estate agent who was at work at the time. Tyler rushed to the hospital, unclear about who was injured as the couple are also parents to son Grant, now 13.
He tried calling his eldest son, who didn’t answer. Then he called his wife back.
“’Wait a minute, you have to slow down. You have to tell me who,’ ” Tyler remembers asking her. “That’s when I found out it was Brett.”
Despite her terror, Nicole was able to call 911 and emergency responders quickly arrived on the scene. Tyler says he made the 34-minute trip to the local hospital in less than 20 and arrived in time to watch a “miracle” unfold.
His son was able to have immediate surgery because a man, who had cancer, was scheduled for a craniotomy and gave up his slot. “Those sheer seconds saved his life,” says Tyler.
Brett had a section of his skull removed to relieve the pressure and then was flown to Milwaukee Children’s Hospital.
Even though the teen received immediate attention, the outlook was bleak. After a sleepless first night, the doctor urged the family to say their final farewells to Brett, who was not expected to survive another 24 hours.
“That just crushes your soul,” says Tyler.
But despite the odds, their son was still alive the next morning, which stunned the doctor, who said she could find no medical reason to explain why he had survived, according to Tyler.
While the danger was far from over, Brett continued to make headway. Over the next 10 months, Brett slowly recovered in inpatient care, first at the Milwaukee Children’s Hospital before going to the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago and then transferring to the Ronald McDonald House.
By May 2025, Brett, now 16, was finally able to return home — this time with a fire engine escort. He was able to meet the emergency responders who saved his life.
“He knew to say thank you to each and every one of them,” says his dad. “He was excited, he was smiling, he was giving the thumbs up, kissing their hand. He understood the magnitude of that moment.”
Brett still requires a feeding tube and has little mobility on his left side. But during his return home, he was able to take two steps that astounded his parents.
And on May 29, when Nicole took her son to a school meeting to prepare for his return, his friends were waiting.
“I was nervous about what people or friends would say,” the 44-year-old mom, who worked as an elementary school teacher before the accident, writes in an email. “We were welcomed with a big sign on the computer board.”
Brett’s best friend came to greet him, as did three other boys from his high school fishing team.
“They realize he isn’t the same Brett, but made him fit right in,” says Nicole. “They accept him and are just so happy he’s still alive.”
While Brett is more vocal about what he’s thinking now that his right frontal lobe has been damaged, his parents say he’s still the same “old soul” — and funnier than ever.
Their connection as a family has only deepened in the past year as Brett did everything he could to heal. “Watching your son make the strides that he’s made, proves that you can’t really have a bad day,” says Tyler. “He doesn’t allow it. He doesn’t allow bad days. He just keeps working hard to try to get as much ability as he can back.”