Thomas Johnston needs help breathing and his brain doesn't respond much, but every so often he squeezes his children's hands. It's much better than he was just a few weeks ago, when doctors told his wife he might not make it…

Just a few days before Christmas, Tom Johnston was transferred to St. Mary's Hospital at the Mayo Clinic where he's getting treatments that doctors say will give him the best chance down the road. Neurologist Dr. Lyell says patients with brain damage make very slow progress, if they ever do.

"Do I think he'll get 100 percent back? I don't know, but we want to give him every chance he can to do that," Dr. Lyell said.

WCCO, by Heather Brown, 1/10/10

Tags: brain injury, H1N1, Neurology