When 9-year-old Alex Hermann was struck by lightning on a soccer field nearly four months ago, doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas were not sure if he would survive and were even more doubtful about his recovery. This past Friday, less than two weeks away from Christmas, Alex and his family experienced an early Christmas miracle after doctors cleared him to return home and celebrate the holidays.

“Today is the day that we have been waiting for, but Alex has been waiting for it the most!” Alex's family said in a Facebook post. “For over three months, Alex has been working hard to become stronger and healthier by the day. However, he has been terribly homesick. It is such a relief to be able to have our whole family reunited to a new ‘normal’ lifestyle, despite going to outpatient therapy at the hospital, as well as various in-home therapies as well.”

Right after the incident occurred back on Aug. 26, Alex’s heart stopped requiring CPR at the scene. Due to extensive burns on his body, he would spend the next three weeks at a pediatric burn center. After his brain was deprived of oxygen, he was left unable to speak, walk, or hear. Over the course of his recovery, Alex underwent numerous skin grafts and a cardiac ablation to correct his heart arrhythmias.

Following months of work with both speech and physical therapists, Alex has regained his ability to hear and speak. Although he cannot form complete sentences or walk just yet, his family is overjoyed with his progress. Today, Alex is happy to be reunited with his dog Spice and finally get his family’s Christmas tree up and decorated just in time for Christmas.