A mother who was told her 19-year-old son may not survive after he was hit by a London Tube train and suffered a very severe brain injury and multiple broken bones, leaving him comatose for a year and unable to move, has said “miracles do happen” as he has learned to walk again.
Amanda Jenkins, 48, said she was “in disbelief” and her legs “turned to jelly” when she saw her son Jovel lying unconscious at St Mary’s Hospital in London in critical condition.
Jovel, now 23, was hit by a Tube train at Oxford Circus on November 13 2019, aged 19 – although he has no memory of the accident – and suffered a very severe brain injury.
“He had multiple fractures on his skull, his hips were broken, his ribs were broken, his collarbone was broken,” Amanda said.
“He had tubes hooked up everywhere.”
Jovel remained in a disorder of consciousness state – where consciousness has been affected by damage to the brain – for a year and underwent several surgeries, including skull reconstruction, brain surgeries, a hip replacement, leg surgery, and a tracheostomy to help him breathe.
Amanda said she “didn’t know if he was ever going to wake up”, but when he gained consciousness in November 2020, she said she “couldn’t believe it” and “screamed” with excitement.
Jovel, who is originally from America but moved to Birmingham in 2012, began to learn to write again and made progress with his mobility, but after leaving hospital, his health “deteriorated” and he went “back to square one”, where he was unable to talk, or feed or wash himself.
In March 2022, Jovel was transferred to St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton, where he started multi-disciplinary, highly specialist neuro-rehabilitation – and although he was initially “paranoid, cross and anxious” and “aggressive towards staff”, he gradually began to engage in the sessions.
Months later, following additional surgery on his ankles, “tremendous progress” was made and Jovel has since learned to walk again, which has made him “happy”.
Amanda said witnessing him walk for the first time was “unbelievable” and she wants to share the message that it is important to hold on to hope, as miracles can happen.
She told PA Real Life: “Words cannot describe how I feel – it brings me great joy.
“It made me realise that miracles are real, they do happen, you just have to believe.”
Jovel added: “I’m excited, I’m happy [that I can walk again].”
Prior to the accident, Jovel was an active, adventurous and “mischievous” teenager.
He enjoyed making music, specifically rap, talking to others, and cooking his favourite Jamaican curry – and he still hopes to one day become a music producer.
However, his life changed dramatically in November 2019.
He has no memory of the accident to this day, or of his recovery, but Amanda remembers her son leaving their family home on November 12 and never coming home.
She could not sleep and called him several times but there was no answer, and the following day, she heard a knock at the door and saw “police everywhere”.
Officers informed her that Jovel had been hit by a Tube train at Oxford Circus and he had been airlifted to St Mary’s Hospital’s major trauma ward.
Upon arrival at the ward, feeling “weak”, she was told by doctors that the following 72 hours would be “critical”, as they did not know whether he was going to “pull through” – and she held a vigil at his hospital bed with loved ones, praying for his survival.
“I was in disbelief that this had actually happened to my son,” Amanda said.
“I remember when I initially went in the room for the first time, I saw him and I just wanted to touch him, and I remember putting my hand under the blanket, under the sheets.
“He was so hot… and I remember feeling a sense of relief at that point – he’s hot, he’s alive!”
She added: “I remember saying to God: ‘Just make him live, please. I don’t care what he’s like after, just make him live’.”
Jovel remained in a disorder of consciousness state for one year.
He was transferred to several hospitals during this time, including the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, and underwent at least half a dozen operations.
When he came around, Amanda heard doctors saying: “Jovel woke up! Jovel woke up!” – and although he could not move or speak at first, she “couldn’t believe it”.
“We couldn’t really talk to him at first, but he was so strong and determined,” Amanda said.
“When he was in a wheelchair, we just said to him, ‘If you hear us Tino – that’s his nickname – if you can hear us, put your hand up, give us a thumbs up, and he did.
“We couldn’t believe it, we were screaming, ‘He can understand us!”
She continued: “When he woke up and could communicate, he said: ‘Mum, I didn’t think God was real, but I saw him and he said it’s not your time yet, and that’s how I woke up’.”
Over time, Jovel started to hit certain milestones, such as writing his name, which “nobody could believe”, and he participated in activities such as art and singing.
However, after leaving hospital, he “regressed right back to square one”.
“He was confined to the wheelchair, and we just lost him,” Amanda explained.
“He couldn’t feed himself, he couldn’t really talk, he couldn’t use the bathroom by himself.”
In March 2022, Jovel was transferred to St Andrew’s Healthcare, where he started receiving treatment from specialist physiotherapists Jyothi Kraleti and Binny Kuriakose.
Binny, a highly specialist physiotherapist, explained that Jovel had “very poor” mobility upon arrival and did not want to participate in the physiotherapy and psychology sessions on offer.
He kept asking Amanda, “When will I get to go home?”, and said, “Do you think I’m going to be here forever?”
However, after “developing some rapport” with Binny, Jovel gradually started to gain his confidence and engage in the sessions.
Keith Jenkins, the lead psychologist for the neuropsychiatry division at St Andrew’s, explained that Jovel was “paranoid, cross and anxious” and “aggressive towards staff” at first.
His psychology work was focused around Jovel’s “acquired cognitive difficulties with memory and information processing” – and with the appropriate medication, he gradually became more cooperative.
“The best thing to see was his engagement with the programme, with his rehab, with realistic goal setting and working on those goals,” Keith explained.
“That’s why Jovel was able to do such tremendous work with Binny in physiotherapy.”
Binny created an exercise programme to help Jovel learn to walk again, as that was one of his main goals, and he even incorporated music to help him enjoy the sessions.
Binny said this was “really challenging work”, but following tendon release surgery on his ankles in July 2022, Jovel has learned to walk again with the support of a frame.
Jovel has since been discharged from St Andrew’s Healthcare and has returned home, where he will continue to receive care – and he said learning to walk again has made him “happy”.
Amanda said seeing her son’s progress has made her feel “joyful” and realise that “miracles are real”.
She hopes to see Jovel’s “wishes come true” – to get married, have children, and fulfil his dream of becoming a music producer – and she has even built a music studio for him at home.
However, for now, upon reflecting on Jovel’s journey, she wishes to give the message that you should never give up.
“Work has to happen but just believe,” she said.
“Where there’s life, there’s hope, and it’s so true – you just have to keep that hope going.”
To find out more about St Andrew’s, visit: www.stah.org
