(Post Bulletin) – A few months ago, Jon Wocelka moved into a new apartment. That might seem like a ordinary rite of passage for most people.
But for Wocelka, a 35-year-old Rochester man who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car, the achievement was akin to scaling a mountain. “It continues every day,” Wocelka said about his recovery.
Wocelka has no memory of the accident. Five years ago, he was walking along U.S. Highway 14 near Owatonna at 2 a.m. when he was stuck by a car driven by a drunken driver. Wocelka was told by his mom afterward that his heart flat-lined five times. He was in a medically induced coma for two months.
“My brain basically said, ‘Since we have a traumatic injury, I’m just going to shut down,’” Wocelka said. CONTINUE