New Smyrna Beach Firefighter Jeremy Macklefresh suffered a severe head injury last September and his family was told there was no hope for recovery.
But yesterday afternoon, the whole town turned out to welcome him home.
“On Sept. 8, we heard a frantic call on the radio. One of our lieutenants had found Jeremy on the ground unresponsive,” said Chief Shawn Vandemark told WKMG News.
The chief said Jeremy was working and riding in a vehicle similar to a golf cart to meet his lieutenant. When he didn’t show, the lieutenant found Jeremy nearby with a severe head injury.
Vandemark said they still don’t know what caused it and Jeremy doesn’t remember.
“There were no witnesses, no cameras anywhere around,” he said.
His mom, Michelle, told WKMG that doctors thought maybe he was hit by a car or attacked.
“He had a frontal lobe injury to his head first. Then they had to do a craniotomy, which is where they had to take half of his skull from his head and when they did that, it caused a stroke,” she said.
The family was told four times he wouldn’t make it, but he pushed.
The entire fire department was on his lawn to welcome him back.
