By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Every Sunday, Kyle Hicks and his three roommates at Neuro Restorative facility in Augusta, Ga., meet to plan their meals for the upcoming week.

After the list is complete, the four roommates – all victims of past traumatic brain injuries – head to the grocery store to purchase everything they need to prepare their meals for the next several days.

Each night thereafter, the four men take turns preparing different portions of the meals before they enjoy the fellowship of eating together.

For Kyle Hicks’ parents, Lynn Hicks and Alabaster City Council member Bob Hicks, seeing their son slowly rebuild his independent life is nothing short of a miracle.

“We firmly believe that Kyle is the affirmation of answered prayers,” Bob Hicks said. “We are humbled and thankful for the prayers and support and the mercy of God.”

On Nov. 25, 2010, Kyle Hicks’ truck lost control, left the road and struck two trees near the intersection of Yancy Drive and Aviation Road in Bessemer. Hicks sustained several serious injuries, including head trauma, in the incident.

Before his wreck, Hicks was scheduled to be deployed overseas with the Army.

After the wreck, medical personnel gave Kyle Hicks a grim outlook.

“They told us that if Kyle survived, he may be bedridden for the rest of his life,” Bob Hicks said.

After treatment at UAB Hospital and the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham and Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Kyle Hicks was transferred to Neuro Restorative in March 2013.

Today, he participates in a wheelchair basketball league – though he is not wheelchair bound – and an archery team at Neuro Restorative, and is responsible for managing his living space. He has returned to his pre-wreck body weight, and is rebuilding his muscle tone, Bob Hicks said.

Kyle Hicks recently served as a groomsman in a friend’s wedding, and will attend his brother’s graduation from the University of Alabama in early August.

“They are busy trying to give him the frantic lifestyle he was used to before the wreck,” Bob Hicks said. “He still has a long way to go, but we are thankful to God for the part of Kyle’s life that has returned.

“He is battling very hard,” Bob Hicks added. “He has surprised a lot of people.”