It is nothing short of amazing how a 13-year-old Alabama child who had been pronounced brain-dead came to awareness.

Last March, Trenton McKinley was outside a friend’s house riding on a small trailer being carried by a dune buggy when his friend abruptly applied the brakes,flipping the trailer and knocking McKinley to the ground.

He had seven skull fractures and was sent to the emergency room. His mother, Jennifer Reindl, informed Fox 10 that her son had been dead for a total of 15 minutes.

‘When he returned, they said he would never regain his usual state… [and] that if he survived at all, he would be a vegetable.’

After a few days, Reindl and McKinley’s father made the tough choice to remove their son from life support and authorized the donation of his organs.

However, his mother reported on a Facebook page devoted to his recovery that McKinley began displaying indications of brain activity just one day before they were supposed to say their last goodbyes. His feet moved first, then his hand.

Following his miraculous recovery, McKinley told Fox 10 that he thinks he was in heaven while his body was on life support.

There is only one possible explanation, according to God, he said. There is no other option. Even physicians concurred.

Since the tragedy, McKinley has had three brain surgeries, and while he has made remarkable progress so far, he still has a long way to go in his recovery.

He has dropped 50 pounds, experiences seizures and nerve pain, and he is currently missing half of his skull, which will be replaced during a future operation.

You may follow his recuperation and contribute to his family’s medical costs by clicking here.