College grad achieves his dream against all odds after terrible car wreck
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By Alexis Wiley, Fox 2 News -
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (MyFoxDetroit) -
Nearly 10 years ago, a college student at Oakland University was seriously injured in a car accident. He spent months in a coma and once awake he had to re-learn how to speak. Today, he's a college graduate.
Click on the video player to watch his inspiring story.
Sitting around a table, decorating cookies is a Christmas tradition the Jones family will never take for granted. They know life can change in the blink of an eye. Brad Jones went to Oakland University, accomplishing a big dream. But on June 1, 2003, Brad's dream was nearly stolen. He was just 19. As his mother Donna told Fox 2, on that fateful night, Brad was in the car with some friends, heading home. A sober friend was supposed to drive, but another who had been drinking ended up behind the wheel.
There was a terrible wreck, and Brad received brain injuries so severe he remained in a coma for three months. Donna Jones says she prayed every day that he'd wake up. Then finally, he did.
But it would take three years in rehab facilities, learning how to walk and talk - beating the odds every day - for Brad to resume pursuing the one goal he refused to give up. All he wanted was that degree, and he knew he could do it. So, he did.
Saturday, Brad received his associates degree from Macomb County Community College. He and his mother are telling their story to young people throughout Metro Detroit. They want to relay the dangers of drinking and driving. With every step and every new milestone, Brad's journey continues to inspire.
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