ATHOL — Javan Fox is happy to be out of the hospital, but he would love to get back to a normal life as soon possible, especially at school.
“He wants to pick up where he left off,” said his mother Devone Fox. “Realistically that’s not what’s going to happen; he is going to get a lot of attention. But he’s never been a kid that likes big groups.”
Javan took questions from news outlets upon getting his release from the Franciscan Children’s hospital in Brighton on Wednesday.
“It seemed like there were too many people there,” Javan said. “It was overwhelming. I don’t care about the attention.”
Javan was hospitalized on Aug. 14 after being hit by a truck while on his bike. The 13-year-old returns to school on Monday and would prefer his classmates give him space if he needs it.
“They coached him at Franciscan on what to do and what to say when he is feeling overwhelmed,” Devone said.
The injuries to Javan’s brain affect his memory and vision.
“His short-term memory isn’t as good,” Devone said. “Day to day he has a hard time remembering things. His eyesight is improving. It’s a matter of his brain healing and then his eyesight will be fine.”
Javan’s school days will be short to start and hopefully by Christmas he will be attending full time.
Javan walked out of the hospital but it took months of physical therapy to get to that point. He first started with sitting up, then using a harness, then work on parallel bars before using a treadmill with a gate belt.
“It literally was baby steps,” Devone said. ‘At first he couldn’t talk at all. Then when he started talking he hasn’t shut up yet.”
Once his speech returned Javan would narrate almost every aspect of his day before returning to regular speech patterns.
Over the Thanksgiving break Javan was able to spend time with family, his girlfriend Zoe Wilder and even make a trip to the cinema.
Javan and family enjoyed a trip to see “Bohemian Rhapsody” over the weekend.
“Queen is the best,” Javan said. “But Sublime is better.”
The former Dek hockey player would eventually like to return to athletics.
“At this point I can barely do a pullup,” Javan said. “I’ve tried many times.”
The whole process from the accident to the hospitalization was difficult for Devone.
“It was literally my worst nightmare,” Devone said. “I went into autopilot as a mom.”
Something that helped Devone through the process was the steady and constant support from the town.
“The community support was huge,” Devone said. “Without the support of the community and family and friends I wouldn’t have handled it as well.”
There were several fundraisers and raffles, people dropped of cards and other gifts. There was constant support on social media and in person for the Fox family.
“It goes to show you how special small-town life is,” Devone said. “Everybody has followed his progress and recovery. It’s really touching. I never felt alone.”
During his hospitalization Javan had over 200 visitors. The family maintains that Javan will need time and sometimes space during his recovery.
“We love people reaching out to Javan,” Devone said. “But if people notice that he’s feeling uncomfortable just give him his space. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate it, it’s just a lot for him to process.”
Javan will celebrate his birthday on Christmas Eve. Javan likes to keep things simple, and has a clever way of defining that mentality.
“I am just hoping to be with family,” Javan said. “That’s all. Low-key gangster.”
During Javan’s return from the hospital on Wednesday, family and friends stood on the side of the road with signs and he also got an escort from the Athol Fire Department.
