Monday marks the first day of rehab for a Joshua teen who's fighting back from a devastating jet ski accident nearly three weeks ago.
Tyler Haessley, 18, is currently recovering at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.
Moments before Haessley's world changed, he was tubing on Lake Palestine in East Texas. His mother, Shanna Campbell, watched in horror as he was hit by his step-brother's jet ski during a family vacation on June 20.
"All I saw was my son's face, facing the water and he was unconscious right away. I kept on screaming, 'Get him, get him!'" Campbell said.
On the shore at the time, she was unable to reach him.
"I tried to help and I actually fell into the water," she said.
In the weeks since the accident, Haessley has battled through two brain surgeries to fix skull fractures and swelling. Those were performed at a hospital in Tyler.
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After waking up and having his breathing tubes removed, Haessley was curious about why he was in the hospital, his mother said. He had no memory of the accident.
"The first thing that he said is, 'What happened?'" Campbell said.
By day six in the hospital, Haessley was back on his feet, making strides. Last Thursday, he was transferred to Cook Children's for speech therapy.
"He knows what to say, but he can't spit it out and it frustrates him," Campbell said.
He still struggles with comprehension and short-term memory, but his mother is confident those are challenges he'll overcome.
"They're gonna work with him. They're gonna get him where he needs to be," Campbell said.
She has no doubt he'll keep fighting every step of the way.
Campbell told NBC5 she's optimistic that her son might get to go back home to Joshua sometime next week. The high school senior was on track to graduate this December, but that's likely pushed back a semester because of his recovery.
In the meantime, his mother is worried though about the medical bills that are piling up. Haessley's aunt set up a GoFundMe account if you'd like to help. As of Monday afternoon, the fund had reached $4,400 of the $50,000 goal.
