Anxious but happy that her son is alive
Julian Mallein's mother has been at his side since the 12-year-old was badly injured by an SUV. Hours after a sport utility vehicle struck her 12-year-old son and sent him flying 30 feet through the air, Madelyn Mallein got her first up-close look at the boy. A half-dozen tubes snaked into Julian Mallein's 79-pound body. Staples held together a flap of skin above his hairline. His thin, bare chest was visibly bruised and a machine breathed for him. Those were just the injuries she could see. The sixth grade boy was crossing a road on Nov. 11 with his best friend when they were struck by a black Nissan Murano. The SUV hit Julian straight-on. The impact put Julian into a coma. The night that Julian was flown by helicopter to Albany Medical Center, doctors were noncommittal about the boy's chances of survival, never mind recovery. Julian's brain was swelling and his lungs were full of blood. His wrist and leg were broken, but he wasn't on pain medication for fear it would push him deeper into the coma. When nurses pinched him, he reacted to the pain, but his body was limp and his lids closed over his blue eyes. As blood pooled between the outer membranes of his brain, doctors drilled a hole in his skull and implanted a bolt to monitor the pressure. Early on, the doctors told Mallein Julian's physical injuries would heal but they were unsure of his brain function.
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