Sgt. John Adams has spent the past year at the VA Palo Alto hospital in comatose after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
The 27-year-old Sgt. Adams, also known as Jordan, needs constant care and on Monday boarded a plane at San Jose International Airport for a flight that could change his life -- an experimental treatment being offered by a Chicago doctor.
"It's a huge day for us today," said Tammi Adams, Sgt. Adams' mother.
Tammi and George Adams said they have been living a parent's worst nightmare after their son's injury.
"I don't know how much he understands, but I knew he recognizes my voice," Tammi Adams said.
Last December, John survived a car accident just miles away form his parents' home in Oregon. Their son was on holiday leave while serving a tour in South Korea.
Sgt. Adams is unable to communicate, but there is hope.
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"I want to hear his voice again," George Adams said of his son. "I want to hear him talk to me."
The VA Hospital in Chicago has chosen Sgt. Adams to be part of a medical experimental trial to help him communicate again.
VitalOne, a medical transport company, is donating its services to transport John. The private jet he will travel on was anonymously donated by someone who heard his story.
The recovery will be a long process, but the Adams family knows it is a challenge Sgt. Adams would be willing to accept.
"I just feel like something great is about to happen," Tammi Adams said.
The Adams family will receive a police escort to the hospital when they land in Chicago. Sgt. Adams' parents said they are grateful to the volunteers and donors who have given them this opportunity.
