Article updated: 1/19/2013 3:49 PM

West Chicago teen beginning long road back from brain injuries

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Alex Novak, 15, of West Chicago, receives a visit from St. Francis High School varsity football coach Greg Purnell. An August accident left Alex with severe brain injuries.

Mark Black | Staff Photographer

Alex Novak, 15, of West Chicago, receives a donation from members of the St. John the Baptist School girls basketball team.

Mark Black | Staff Photographer

About this Article

Step inside the Novak family home in West Chicago: First, there's the Christmas tree. Then there's the hospital bed and the maze of buzzing electrical equipment. Alex Novak, 15, is sitting in his wheelchair, wearing his St. Francis High School football jersey and taking his nutrition through a tube. Five months ago, he was riding his bike when he was struck by a van. He would spend the next six weeks in a coma.