ADA, Minn. - You're about to learn and hear from a woman "nobody" thought would be here for the holidays.
For weeks, Sheila Lewis was in a coma, and then hospice. The grandmother of eight and long-time daycare provider is celebrating a remarkable recovery that is still baffling everyone.
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"When I was on my death bed, people would say 'you get better and we will do this and that,' I guess I get to go to Vegas," said Sheila.
After what Lewis has been through, a trip to Vegas should be in the cards. Luck, and a little something else has been on her side ever since Labor Day weekend.
"I knew instantly when she could not grasp what day it was," said Brandy Arends, Lewis's daughter.
That's when her children realized something was terribly wrong.
"She kept saying my brain is in a fog, just a fog," said Chasity Brandt, Lewis's daughter.
The kids thought it was a mild stroke, but within hours, everything went south.
"When we first got her to Fargo we thought this would be a quick fix," said Arends. "She forgot the grandkids' names, our names and her name."
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She then became non-verbal and was placed into the ICU with a breathing and feeding tube.
"The doctor is like, 'what are her wishes?'," Arends said. "She could code, and we were like, 'what just happened?' "
Sheila was dying so her family transferred her to Mayo Clinic.
"When world renowned doctors at Mayo say they saying they have never seen a case like your moms, they didn't even know what they were dealing with," Arends said.
For weeks, Sheila would be in life support, unresponsive, her kids had to make the tough call.
"Low blood pressure, no quality of life, vegetative state, nothing more we could do," said Arends.
"We cancelled plans and brought the kids down to say goodbye to grandma," Brandt said. "So we as a family decided to take her off life support."
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The girls even can laugh about it now.
"As we were planning the funeral, we bought dresses for the funeral and joked, 'would mom approve of this?' " Brandt said
Stubborn Sheila was not ready to go, even off life support--she lived. And so the family brought her to Fargo in mid-October, to die in Hospice at her daughter's home. But then something changed.
"Did she just talk? This has been six weeks we haven't heard her voice, she was on life support, is she talking?" said Brandt.
They all were planning to say goodbye too, but Sheila started asking for things.
"She started asking for water, for 12 days, no food or water or IV's or oxygen,' said Arends.
Mayo Clinic heard the news and asked to see her--and they couldn't believe it.
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"Her team all said, 'you are a miracle,' and they said that word is never thrown around and that is what you are," said Arends.
Which brings us to this week; days before Christmas, and Lewis will celebrate this weekend.
"That is my goal, life is never dull or boring with me," said Lewis.
"She got to Fargo and gets out of the car and starts walking, it's like, 'wow, tears of happiness,' " said Brock Hanson, Sheila's son.
"I have always had faith, but more so now," said Lewis. "I am thankful I have been given this second chance."
Sheila is now being treated for melanoma that was discovered during a scan.
Right now, insurance is not paying for the chemo pills, because they don't believe her story of recovery, from a coma and hospice care.
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A YouCaring site has been set up for Sheila, .
A benefit is being held for her on Sunday, Feb. 25th at Ada-Borup ÍáÍáÂþ» from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.