A high school basketball enthusiast, who contracted a potentially fatal illness and fell into a coma, astounded doctors when she continued to shoot hoops in her comatose state.
Maggie Meier fell ill in 2008 and was admitted to hospital after suffering a seizure.
The student at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas was found to have mycoplasma meningoencephalitis - a form of meningitis which causes swelling on the brain.
Medical miracle: Maggie Meier fell ill with meningitis and spent two months in a Kansas hospital unconscious - yet from her comatose state she was still able to remember the reflex for shooting a basketball
The teenager fell into a coma for almost three months during which time she was moved every two to three hours to prevent her limbs stiffening up.
To remind her of who she was, the family placed a basketball in Maggie's hands when she was seated upright in a wheelchair. Amazingly, the young woman's reflexes kicked in and she started shooting hoops.
Dr William Graf, Meier’s neurologist, told thedaily.com: 'The act of shooting a basketball must have been ingrained as one of Maggie’s basic instincts - her basketball shooting motion came back to her even before she was able to stand up or walk again.'
On the road to recovery: Maggie Meier had to relearn how to walk, speak and read after spending several months in a coma
During the girl's extended stint in hospital, she would shoot a few hoops, then fall back into a comatose state.
Since coming out of her coma, the high school student has had to relearn every facet of her daily life - how to walk, speak and read.
While she was in hospital, Maggie's fellow players on the school team the Huskies and coach David Glenn kept a chair by the court which said 'reserved for Maggie Meier' on the back.
On Monday, she returned to the court after almost four years spent recovering.
She told thedaily.com: 'When I’m out there, I don’t think about it that much... But when I do think about it, it’s pretty awesome.'
After graduating high school, Miss Meier plans to go to Benedictine College in Kansas and study for a degree in special education.
Mycoplasma meningoencephalitis is a bacterial disease which causes inflammation of the brain.
Although the condition is reversible and patients can make a full recovery, in certain cases the illness can be fatal.
Overcoming illness: Miss Meier suffered mycoplasma meningoencephalitis which causes swelling in the brain and fell into a coma in 2008
Road to recovery: The high school student from Kansas shoots hoops after fighting back from meningitis
Making the shot: Maggie, who had played basketball all her life, shot hoops while in a coma - before she recovered enough to return to the court with the help of her family
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