Joshua Boy With Brain Injury Headed Home Soon

JOSHUA (CBS 11 NEWS) - Michael Schaaf, 11, has a long road ahead of him.  But the road he's already walked hasn't been easy either.

"It's a miracle to me," said his mother, Lee Dees.  "All the doctors said he is a miracle."

Michael was hit by a car while riding his bike in his hometown of Joshua on April 9, 2011.

"He had a crack (in his skull) from ear to ear, he had a level three head injury they told me, his entire brain was bruised," his mother said. "It was pretty devastating."

He was taken by Careflite to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth where he's been ever since.

"The recovery is just draining," Dees said, "Once he started you couldn't keep him down; it was just amazing."

Nearly five months later, the 11-year-old is finally going home.

Michael still has some short term memory loss and a few other problems as result of his head injury, but he will be able to start school next week as a fifth grader.

"He's back. God gave him back to me." Dees said. "He's rebirthed my son to me fully. He's got a few problems but so what?  It's my baby!"

Before he left the hospital, Friday, there was one final and very special farewell from the two paramedics on that Careflite helicopter who helped save his life.

"He was very seriously hurt, but we're excited to see him leave today and go home to be with his family." Said Careflite paramedic Andrew Foxcroft. "Miracle.  I can't explain it any other way, from where he was then to where he is today."

"It's such a wonderful feeling, we don't always have this good of an outcome with the patients that we see," said Lynn Lail, who is also a fight paramedic. "When we get an outcome this good, it's wonderful, I'm happy for his family and for him."

While the paramedics may call Michael a miracle, he and his family call them their angels.

"I could have lost him two or three times," Dees said, "and God blessed me and blessed him too."