After being without oxygen for almost 30 minutes after collapsing in a restaurant, Theta Chi member Brandon Benesh made it through without any brain damage.
He spent almost a month in the hospital, and now has moved to a rehab facility to continue his road to recovery.
Benesh left the hospital Aug. 26 and is now at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, his sister Brooke Benesh said. He will stay in rehabilitation for up to two weeks and is planning to return to school for the spring semester, Brooke said.
He's already walking more, doing more with his arms and he was able to pass a speech test, Brooke said.
“We are ready for him to come home soon," Brooke said. "Hopefully in the upcoming week he’ll get to come home.”
Brandon collapsed while out to eat July 29. Brooke said when she first heard the news, she thought it would just be a minor incident.
“His friend with him called us and said he passed out so my thought was we would get to Waffle House and he would be up joking around and would be fine," Brooke said. "There is no way I thought that this is what we would be doing a month later, so I was definitely in shock when I arrived.”
Brandon was placed into a medically induced coma and his family started a website chronicling his progress where they posted updates. A post from Aug. 2 reported Brandon was without oxygen for more than 30 minutes when he collapsed, but he hadn't suffered any brain damage, which he proved by following simple instructions.
"This news is too joyous to wait until tomorrow ... Brandon Benesh opened his eyes today!" a post from Aug. 2 on the website said. "He was asked to squeeze mom's hand HE DID!! He was asked to squeeze daddy's hand HE DID."
Brooke said Brandon still isn't showing any signs of brain damage now that he is in rehab.
The day Brandon left the hospital was also the first day he posted to his recovery website himself. In his update, he thanked his fraternity brothers, friends and family.
“It has been a tough journey already and this will be no exception,” he wrote. “Thank you to everyone for your prayers and continued support for myself as I work on getting better.”
Clay Holman, president of the Theta Chi, said Brandon's fraternity brothers were constantly at the hospital, day in and day out. Brandon is Theta Chi's vice president of health and safety.
“Everyone really came together and we were all there to support him,” Holman said. “I think it has motivated us to work a lot harder for him.”
Holman said the fraternity is doing what they can to help Benesh and his family. The fraternity is donating a part of the proceeds from their philanthropic event, "Waterdaze," which took place Aug. 29.
At Waterdaze, the back of their shirts said "We run this beach for Brandon," and Brandon was able to take a break from his physical therapy to FaceTime his brothers during the event.
"My family and I are so thankful to the gentlemen of Theta Chi and cannot even begin to express our gratitude towards them," Brooke wrote in a post on the website Aug. 29. "Being with them today and seeing how excited they were to talk with Brandon made me so happy."
Theta Chi also created a GoFundMe page so anyone can donate to Brandon's family.
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