Fleming continues to rally

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window,

If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold

This is not a story about a love song. No. But somehow the words fit here.

Lyrics from Rascal Flatts, in their own way, apply to Jake Fleming’s life, words coming from the family and community that love him so.

The country band reverted to the background on one horrible night for Fleming. But this story is not even about one night.

It is about so much more.

What you need to know about Jake Fleming now is that he’s a walking miracle. But back then on that ugly, dark day, that was a nightmare.

“Sometimes I find myself just thinking back on the whole event,” said Fleming, a former Newport Harbor High tennis player who is now a junior at UCLA. “I try to limit myself. It gets me depressed. I just think: ‘Look how lucky you are.’ I don’t want to do dwell on the past.”

No one would want to dwell there in the hospital room, put under in a medically induced coma. Life seemed to be slipping. They call it critical condition for a reason.

Fleming lay there in Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas after a man punched him without Fleming knowing, on June 12, 2009.

He was in town to visit his friend, Matt Helfrich, another Newport Harbor grad. They went with a group to a Rascal Flatts concert.

After the music ended, Fleming, with his friends, was trying to catch a cab when the punch came. Fleming fell to the ground, his head hitting the concrete, causing brain injuries.

Fleming cannot say more because the case is still in litigation, he says. He’d rather not talk about it at all. But he believes his story can make a difference somewhere, somehow.

“I just wanted to share my story to be inspirational for other people who have gone through this,” Fleming says.

He draws inspiration from a higher power that he believes pulled him away from death. Family is close by when those depressing thoughts creep in. But Fleming’s faith also gives him strength.

Support has come from the Newport Beach community, yet Fleming also gained encouragement from Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, he said.

Prayers were made that night after Fleming was punched. The call came to Steve Fleming, and his wife, Jodi. Peter Helfrich, Matt’s dad, broke the unfortunate news that Jake was in the hospital.

The two families, Flemings and Helfriches, are nearly as one, with their children growing up together playing Little League and soccer. It was only natural what came next after finding about one of their own. They all traveled together to Dallas.

“The low point in all this was the morning we arrived in Dallas at around 5:30,” Steve Fleming says. “And, not knowing if he was still going to be there.”

In reality, that feeling of the unknown lasted for three weeks, the time Jake Fleming was in a coma. Two intense brain surgeries came, as he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and a brain contusion. His head swelled as blood came to where it was not needed.

Who would ever thought Fleming would be back at UCLA today? Living the college life? Back practicing with the UCLA men’s tennis team? Those weren’t thoughts before and after the surgeries.

And the recovery? There were moments of depression there, too. But maybe that’s where Fleming’s main story can be told. It’s where he showed his character.

At times, while at Newport Harbor many saw the fiery spirit Fleming displayed while playing on the tennis courts. It sort of makes sense how Fleming ended up at UCLA. Boise State was offering a spot for him. University of North Carolina showed interest. But Fleming wanted a test. He wanted to be a walk-on at UCLA.

“Yes, I wanted that challenge,” Fleming says. “I came to win a championship and that’s what I want to do.”

Fleming has bouts with memory, but he’s playing tennis again. Not competitively, but he’s practicing. Remarkable, considering he had to relearn how to walk and talk when he went to recovery at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, back in August.

It was as if he became a baby when he began his rehabilitation. No one was sure what came next. No one knew if UCLA would ever come back into the picture.

But the days passed. Fleming got his wish, and another. The steps started to multiply. The appetite increased.

“I’ve been told by doctors that I’m a miracle from the recovery,” he says. “For my status, no one knew how I was going to turn out and if I would be able to go to school and gain my walking.

“My recovery has been such a blessing.”

Said Jodi Fleming: “We were told that it could be two years before he can go back to school. Within a week, they said that wouldn’t be the case. We just kept saying the whole time, ‘He’s a really strong kid. He’s going to get through this.’ The doctors call him, ‘the miracle boy.’ ”

Fleming’s older sister, Ally, who is a senior at UCLA, has been touched by her brother’s recovery. The family had already been close before the tragedy, but they drew even nearer to one another as Jake made his remarkable, quick comeback.

Still, every day, Ally makes sure to check on her brother, to be extra sure he’s doing OK.

“We still worry every day,” she says. “It’s a constant worry, wondering where he is and if he’s OK. It’s almost to the point that we bother him.”

However, the family sees Jake’s faith and they’ve also seen his strength throughout his recovery. They believe because he was in such great shape, it helped with his rehab. It also didn’t hurt that he had that fighter’s spirit.

“It’s amazing,” Ally says. “I think his bravery and his competitive spirit have really shown. It’s been real amazing to see him come back to life. We are so proud of him of how far he has come. We are so fortunate.”

Jake Fleming has more goals to reach. He hopes to play competitive tennis again, but even if that doesn’t come, overcoming the challenges of college might be enough for that tenacious spirit.

A full load of classes would be something he wants. He also desires 100% health. He says he’s at 80%. He believes he’ll get there, as he draws strength from his family and the community.

His friends in Newport Beach have been extremely supportive, Fleming says, as well as those within the athletic department at UCLA. Some of his friends dedicated their win to Jake when they won the Newport Harbor alumni basketball tournament July 25.

“To me it was so amazing to have all my friends support me, and know that they were thinking of me,” Fleming says. “The community was great to me. A lot of people were very supportive.”

As Fleming continues his recovery, he does his best to stay away from the past. That one night changed his life, but he doesn’t want to let it rule his life.

“To summarize my life overall I would say it’s been a rough journey,” Fleming says. “But it’s been a great learning experience as well. I guess the whole experience has brought me closer to God. It taught me to appreciate life every day and to appreciate all your loved ones because you never know when your life can be taken from you.”