By C1 Staff
HOUSTON — For six months, doctors thought Toamalama Scanlan was not going to wake up, but his family believed he would.
Scanalan, who was shot after a parolee opened fire in Fresno County Jail in September, was transferred to a Texas rehab hospital in March where specialists determined he was in a vegetative state, KFSN reported.
But four days later, Scanalan showed small, but important signs of improvement.
“We found evidence in some of our assessments that he was able to track with his eyes, that he was able to follow some commands,” Dr. Sunil Kothari told the news station.
Now, Scanalan can answer questions by moving his head and can control some of his limbs. He’s re-learning to walk, with the help of a treadmill, and is working on playing the guitar again.
Although he’s made progress, doctors say Scanalan’s brain is still badly damaged. Kothari said Scanalan’s level of consciousness fluctuates.
“You know, it’s like a football game or a basketball game. It’s harder to predict the outcome in the first quarter of the game than it is in the fourth quarter,” he said.
But Scanalan’s 19-year-old daughter, Paulene, is hopeful because she knows the fighter her dad is.
“I know that he knows being here, he’s getting better,” Paulene said. “And I think that as long as he knows he’s working towards getting better, he’s happy because he wants to come back.”
A GoFundMe has been set up in Scanlan’s name.